Taiwan artist carves 'world's tiniest tiger'

Chen, who has devoted himself to miniature sculpture for the past 30 years, said it took him 4 hours a day for 3 months to finish the work.

TAIPEI, January 18, 2010 (AFP) - A Taiwanese artist said Monday that he had completed the world's smallest tiger sculpture, tiny enough to pass through the eye of a needle.

Chen Forng-shean carved the animal, made of artificial resin and measuring just a millimetre (0.04 inches) in height, to mark the Year of the Tiger, which begins on February 14.

"The toughest part was painting the tiger's tongue red," the amateur artist, who works for the central bank, told AFP.

Chen, who has devoted himself to miniature sculpture for the past 30 years, said it took him four hours a day for three months to finish the work.

cty/ph/pst