As part of the ongoing collaboration between Factum Foundation and Fondazione Palazzo Te, two paintings were recorded in high-resolution in order to make facsimiles for exhibition display. 

In early 2023, a team from Factum Foundation recorded in high-resolution Titian's portrait of Federico Gonzaga, Ist Duke of Mantua (1529) inside the collection of the Museo del Prado. The oil painting was scanned using the Lucida 3D Scanner and composite photography and accurate data of both the surface and colour were used to make an exact facsimile of the artwork. 

The 3D surface of the painting was printed using elevated printing and moulded to obtain a flexible gesso-based surface over which the colour could be printed in perfect register with the brushmarks. The facsimile was then stretched over a canvas and varnished to achieve an exact visual copy of the original oil painting. 

The exhibition 'L’imperatore e il Duca. Carlo V a Mantova' (March 24 – June 25, 2023) explores the relationship between Emperor Charles V and Federico II Gongaza, who was appointed Duke of the city of Mantua in 1530. Charles V visited the city while Palazzo Te was still undergoing decoration, and his political designs envisioned a net of political alliances aimed at strengthening his empire.

Rafa Rachewsky colour checking a test facsimile using a colour reference © Oak Taylor-Smith | Factum Foundation

Rafa Rachewsky colour checking a test facsimile using a colour reference © Oak Taylor-Smith | Factum Foundation

Rafa Rachewsky colour checking a test facsimile using a colour reference © Oak Taylor-Smith | Factum Foundation

A major work by Rubens, The Ecstasy of St Gregory the Great, was also recorded in the Musée de Grenoble in order to produce a facsimile for an exhibition about the Flemish artist planned for October 2023 at Palazzo Te. 

As always, the digital data was given to each museum in order to contribute to the conservation of the original artworks by providing an accurate record of their surface and colour at the time of recording.