Urbino, 1:1 high-definition replica of Montefeltro altarpiece installed in its church

On the occasion of the six-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Federico da Montefeltro (Gubbio, 1422 - Ferrara, 1482), the Montefeltro Altarpiece is returning to Urbino: however, we are not talking about the return of the original that is in the Pinacoteca di Brera, but rather a high-fidelity 1:1 scale replica made by Haltadefinizione, a company of the Franco Cosimo Panini Editore group that specializes in digitizing and reproducing works of art.

The replica will be installed in the church of San Bernardino, where the remains of Federico and his son Guidobaldo rest, and where the altarpiece was located in ancient times: in 1811 then the altarpiece was requisitioned by French soldiers who took it to Milan, and from there it never moved. At that time, Piero della Francesca did not enjoy great admiration because it did not reflect Napoleon’s artistic taste: so the masterpiece, instead of leaving for France, was sent to the Pinacoteca di Brera, and thus became part of the Milanese collection.

The placement of the replica of the Montefeltro Altarpiece in the Montefeltro mausoleum is part of the initiatives to enhance the territories of the Duke of Urbino, here portrayed in one of the most iconic representations. The reproduction of the masterpiece faithfully restores both the colors and the surface of the work, making the form and brushstrokes clearly visible.

“Technology,” says Luca Ponzio, managing director of Haltadefinizione, “makes it possible to faithfully replicate a work of art and return it to its place of origin, experimenting with new approaches to the valorization and dissemination of art. The relocation of the monumental altarpiece by Piero della Francesca, an artist deeply connected to the court of Urbino and the Duke of Montefeltro, gives us a full understanding of how replication is a tool that allows us to fill a void, returning to the territory and the community a work that was kept elsewhere.”

Gigapixel digitization makes it possible to obtain high-resolution digital exemplars of the paintings: the fruit of the application of this technology are highly detailed images made up of billions of pixels that make it possible to investigate - and recreate - the work in the smallest details. Thanks to the most modern photographic techniques, it is possible to replicate a painting and place the copy there where it was commissioned, thought of, or even imagined.

Urbino, 1:1 high-definition replica of Montefeltro altarpiece installed in its church

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