For the exhibition ‘L’immagine sovrana. Urbano VIII e i Barberini’, Factum Foundation has produced a 1:1 facsimile of the San Sebastian (1615) by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, to be part of the display at Palazzo Barberini in Rome from March 17th until July 30th 2023. The original sculpture, belonging to a private collection and on long-term loan to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, was recorded in high-resolution in September 2022 using a white light scanner and photogrammetry.
After processing the digital data, the sculpture was 3D printed and a mould was made. The facsimile created by Factum Arte’s Juan Carlos Arias and Aniuska Martin is a perfect visual copy which captures the distinctive, ethereally smooth yet complex surface that Bernini is known for.
As always, the digital data is an accurate record of the surface of the sculpture that can be used to monitor the condition of the original.
The exhibition at the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the election of cardinal Maffeo Barberini as Pope Urban VIII. A great patron of arts, his 21 years as Head of the Catholic church (1623-1644) deeply transformed Rome’s cultural and architectonic landscape. This included a long and continued support of Bernini, of which the commission of the San Sebastian is an example. The sculpture was probably made for a private chapel dedicated to San Sebastian inside the church of Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome.
Thanks to the collaboration between the Fondazione Giorgio Cini’s Istituto di Storia dell'Arte and Factum Foundation, a selection of paintings in the Galleria di Palazzo Cini in San Vio, which formed the core of Vittorio Cini's art collection, were digitised in high-resolution in March 2023.
The work will provide an accurate database that will help monitor the conservation state of the paintings, study the works in detail both as images and physical objects and disseminate their artistic and historic value.
In March 2023 a team from Factum Foundation recorded the St Pieter altarpiece by Nicolò da Voltri in the C15th and originally painted for the monastery church of San Pietro in Vesima, near Genoa.
The altarpiece was scanned in high resolution in its current location in the Castle of Gabiano, using the Lucida 3D Scanner and composite colour photography in order to produce a facsimile that will form part of the restoration project of the church, which has undergone many transformations since 1159.
The work will also consist of an analytic study to identify the original parts of the frame and the additions made when it was installed in the chapel in the castle of Gabiano.
Factum Foundation and Gerger Kültür Turizm, Sanat ve Hoşgörü Derneği (GKTSHD) are launching a project partnership aimed at recording the historical and archaeological site of Gerger, in the province of Adiyaman in Turkey.
"The ultimate goal is to organise an international workshop in Gerger to share the results of the initial phase of this groundbreaking project together with Factum Foundation and other international and local partners. The recent earthquake has shown the urgency of accurate digital recording and GKTSHD is proud to work together with Factum Foundation to protect our history and preserve its legacy." - Nesrin Karavar, founder member of GKTSHD
Factum Foundation with Ana García Bueno and a group of researchers from the Department of Painting at the Universidad de Granada are working together on a research initiative that forms part of the R+D+I PROJECTS IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE ANDALUSIAN ERDF OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME 2014-2020 (Andalusian Regional Government/European Union, European Regional Development Fund). The project aims at proposing a digital restoration of the polychrome surface that used to adorn the Comares façade in one of the courtyards of the Alhambra in Granada.
In late January 2023 Pedro Miró was able to acquire accurate digital data of the carved plaster of the façade using photogrammetry.
More on the project
In 2018, an archaeological mission led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) at Dra Abu el-Naga, Luxor, unearthed an early Twelfth Dynasty funerary garden in a remarkable state of preservation; complete with remaining traces of pollen and seeds planted over 4000 years ago.
As part of the archaeological excavation and documentation of this site, Factum Foundation was enlisted by the CSIC to create an exact facsimile to form part of the protective framework built to safeguard the fragile ancient structure from further erosion; this will extend the garden's life by at least a decade.
The funerary garden facsimile was installed in 2019 and since early February 2023, the whole site is now open and accessible to visitors in Luxor.
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