Most of the stunning artefacts on display at this private museum, opened in 2006, are less than 1 millimetre in diameter. The extraordinary Novosobirsk physicist and artisan Vladimir Aniskin created many of the 75 miniatures. He carved a rose on a dust particle, attached it to a horsehair, and managed to write a two-page text on a half of a grain of rice.

Aniskin also created a collection of Russian state orders and medals on poppy seeds. He replicated the masterpiece of the Russian Lefty, the main character of Nikolai Leskov’s novel The Tale of Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula and the Steel Flea, whose name the museum proudly bears. In his works, Aniskin implements techniques of jewellery making, blacksmithing, casting and work with birch bark. Artisanal works by blacksmiths, bookbinders and other masters of traditional crafts complement the miniature works.