TIMOTHY RICHARDS - The World is Small

Timothy Richards has lived many lives. After graduating from Taunton University, he helped build the Outward Bound Center in Lesotho, Africa, and then explored the Greek island of Spetses with Tim Severin, before returning to his hometown of Bath, England, to perfect his craft.

Timothy Richards creates scale models of famous buildings, inspired by the skills of the Fouquet couple, continuing a tradition dating back to the 19th century. His work ranges from the Pantheon to the Capitol to Jane Austen's door, and limited editions of the Palais Royal, the Chrysler Building, and the Ca' d'Oro in Venice.

It is in his Victorian school in Bath, transformed into a studio, that Timothy Richards assembles his own Architecture Hall of Fame.

Each object is handcrafted from a master composed of styrene sheets, transformed into a mold made from a mixture of rubber and silicone. The British artist uses gypsum plaster to bring his sculptures to life, which he enhances with touches of metal and glass to make them more lifelike. The degree of precision in his work is such that if the miniatures are photographed from the right angle they can easily pass for the architectural works that served as models.

The greatest monuments are now within reach, at Leclaireur Boissy d'Anglas and Leclaireur Sévigné.

Photos by Alexandre Gaudin