Scunthorpe golden art treasure ready to be hidden

The five artefacts from North Lincolnshire Museum were 3D printed and made into wax replicas, then cast in gold

An artist has recreated five historic museum artefacts in gold as part of a treasure hunt art exhibition.

Artist Luke Jerram was commissioned by 20-21 Arts Centre in Scunthorpe to produce the work.

From February the gold replicas - each cast in £1,000 worth of 18-carat gold - will be hidden around the town for the public to find and keep.

Clues to their whereabouts will be disguised in five paintings which will be on display at the venue.

Officials said the paintings were created with the aid of a professional code-breaker, and the locations of the hidden gold artefacts would range in difficulty.

Dominic Mason, 20-21's exhibition officer, said one would be so hard to crack that the gold may not be found.

"As a legacy for the project ,this painting will remain on display in the North Lincolnshire Museum with the associated golden artefact remaining hidden for the public to find one day," he said.

More on this and other local stories from across North Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire

A Janus train engine - as used in Scunthorpe's steel industry - and a Viking brooch are among the five objects from North Lincolnshire Museum selected by the artist to reflect the heritage of the region.

One of the items - a 16th Century figurine of a woman carrying fish found in Winteringham - could be a clue to how people lived at the time, officials said

A figure of a Roman ram was also found in Winteringham. It is thought it may represent a sacrificial ram within a household, or may even be a child's toy

Bristol-based artist Luke Jerram said: "I like the idea that ancient objects that were once hidden beneath the earth and were discovered and displayed at the museum are now being re-hidden."

Upon finding an artefact, the member of the public will get to keep the object, as well as being able to decide which venue in the area will get to keep the associated painting.

A Viking brooch found in Ewerby was selected to pay homage to the region's Viking history

A Janus train - as used in the steelworks of Scunthorpe for transporting materials across the site - is among the items

An ammonite was chosen to represent the region's ancient geological history

The exhibition, funded by the Lottery and Arts Council England, will run from 18 February until 29 April.

Finders keepers

Clues will be disguised in five paintings and people who find the objects will be able to keep them

• In 2014, hundreds of people converged on a beach in Kent where a German artist buried £10,000 worth of bullion as part of an arts festival

• The same year, a £12,000 diamond that was dropped from space as a publicity stunt was found by a dog

• One man was found dead after being reported missing searching for a $2m (£1.6m) trove hidden by art dealer and author Forrest Fenn