MANN digitizes the Farnese Collection in 3D. Large database available in mid-October

By the first half of October, a large digital database will be available at https://sketchfab.com/FlyoverZone/collections/farnese-collection, the result of a project that has intertwined research on theancient coloring of the marbles promoted by MANN in Colours and technologies made available by the US company Flyover Zone. In early 2021, the long process of digitizing in 3D the most famous marbles of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples began: thousands of photographs for each of the sixty-two sculptures selected from the masterpieces of the MANN’s Farnese Collection. For theHercules, there were three thousand shots; for the Taurus, about fifteen thousand, dividing the group into twenty-nine million points and a mesh of fourteen and a half million triangles.

A conference (5 p.m., MANN Auditorium, but also live on Facebook) is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 26, for a preview of the models that will be available online. “MANN is at the forefront of the digitization process that is engaging Italian museums. We are working on the collections and, with a specific program, on the heritage of the deposits,” said museum director Paolo Giulierini. "Alongside us scientific partners, international universities and high-tech companies such as the American Flyover Zone, a pioneer in the creation of virtual realities. Reconstruction and preservation proceed together in this process. And alongside the specialized aspect there is, of course, the one related to promotion and thus the development of new platforms, just think of apps and videogames, a sector in which MANN was a forerunner. Thanks to technology today it is possible to enjoy the masterpieces at a distance, as well as enrich one’s ’in-presence’ visit with special content. The project The Digital Farnese Collection is an important part of this fascinating journey toward the MANN of the future."

It will only take a few clicks to access the 3D models of the sculptures: first, even the most hidden areas of the works, such as extremities or details of faces, will be visible. For example, the public will be able to see the eyes of theHercules up close and, for the first time, it will be possible to literally “enter” the Farnese Bull, appreciating in the round every single figure that makes up the large sculpture. The same models will be used to create detailed digital captions: here you will find all the information about the original colors of the works. The database will also serve as a scientific bridge to other research projects: on the one hand, the Digital Ecosystem of the Campania Region, to network the territory’s heritage; the virtual environment of Caracalla Baths Reborn, which, again in collaboration with Flyover Zone, will allow the sculptures, including colored ones, to be repositioned in their original location at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome.

“The perception that ancient statues were once colored is still too uncommon; tapping into the digital medium with the aim of illustrating not only scientific findings but also giving the general public the message that color originally had is necessary for proper heritage education,” says Cristiana Barandoni, the archaeologist who coordinated the project to digitize the Farnese sculptures, building on the results of the MANN in Colours project. Teaming up with the researcher are Bernard Frischer (Flyover Zone), among the first international archaeologists to work on digitizing the statues, and architect Davide Angheleddu, director of photogrammetry processes for the U.S.-based company. Next December, the enhancement of the Farnese collection and deposits will be enriched by the presentation of results on the colors of the marbles.

In the image, the 3D reworking of the statue of Caracalla (detail)

MANN digitizes the Farnese Collection in 3D. Large database available in mid-October

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