Smallest-Ever Queen Sculpted On A Coffee Bean

Coffee Bean Queen!
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There have already been sightings of Jesus in a potato and the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese sandwich - and now the Queen has made an unlikely appearance on a coffee bean.

But the latest miracle is no chance occurrence, rather the painstaking work of British micro-sculptor Willard Wigan.

Instead of the usual bunting and commemorative mugs, the artist has marked the Diamond Jubilee by creating what is believed to be the world's smallest ever portrait of the Queen, crafting an image of her head on to a coffee bean.

Measuring just 2mm, Mr Wigan's microscopic masterpiece is so small it is invisible to the naked eye and can only be seen with the aid of a magnifying glass.

The sculptor, who slows his heartbeat and works between beats to avoid hand tremors while fashioning his miniature artworks, took more than four weeks to create the unusual sculpture.

Using tiny home-made tools, he paints with a hair plucked from a housefly's back to carve the microscopic figures for which he is known.

He said: "I have worked all over the world with numerous tools and subjects but never before have I sculpted on to the miniature surface of a coffee bean...

"This celebratory one-off portrait of Her Majesty on a coffee bean marks this momentous occasion, hopefully commemorating her reign for years to come."

The sculptor collaborated with coffee company Douwe Egberts which is supporting the Big Jubilee Lunch.