Haltadefinizione digitizes three Caravaggio masterpieces in gigapixel for his 450th birthday

Haltadefinizione, an Italian tech company specializing in high-definition digitization of cultural heritage, has added three new Caravaggio masterpieces to its online gigapixel collection: San Giovanni Battista, San Francesco in meditazione, and Narciso, all housed at the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica (Palazzo Barberini). This initiative coincides with the 450th anniversary of Caravaggio's birth. The company, which previously digitized works by Raphael at the Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti, as well as masterpieces at the Pinacoteca di Brera and Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze, now offers these new works alongside Caravaggio's Giuditta e Oloferne (also at Palazzo Barberini) and other pieces from the Galleria Borghese, Pinacoteca di Brera, and Uffizi. Founder Luca Ponzio stated that gigapixel and gigapixel+3D technology aids conservation monitoring, research, and remote public access. In 2019, Haltadefinizione signed an agreement with the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Tourism (MIBACT) to promote state collections. The digitization allows free online viewing of artworks, especially relevant during pandemic-related museum closures.