Alessandro Volta at The Borghese Garden, Italy

myminifactory

Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta was a renowned physicist, chemist, and pioneer of electricity and power. Born on February 18, 1745, he is credited with inventing the electrical battery and discovering methane. In 1799, Volta created the Voltaic pile and reported his findings in a two-part letter to the President of the Royal Society in 1800. This groundbreaking invention proved that electricity could be generated chemically, debunking the prevailing theory that it was solely produced by living beings. Volta's discovery sparked immense scientific excitement and inspired others to conduct similar experiments, eventually leading to the development of electrochemistry. Alessandro Volta also earned Napoleon Bonaparte's admiration for his invention, earning an invitation to demonstrate his work at the Institute of France. Throughout his life, he maintained a close relationship with the Emperor, receiving numerous honors from him. As the chair of experimental physics at the University of Pavia for nearly 40 years, Volta was widely revered by his students. Despite achieving great professional success, Volta preferred domestic life and grew increasingly reclusive in his later years, prioritizing his family's needs until his death from a series of illnesses that began in 1823. The SI unit of electric potential, the volt, is named in his honor. This sculpture is part of "Scan The World," a non-profit initiative created by MyMiniFactory to build a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures and artworks from around the globe for public access. Scan The World is an open-source community effort; if you have interesting items to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to learn how you can help. The object was scanned using photogrammetry and processed with Agisoft PhotoScan.