Raphael's 'Sposalizio della Vergine' returns to Umbria as 3D Gigapixel clone

A 3D Gigapixel clone of Raphael's 'Sposalizio della Vergine' has been installed in the Gothic church of San Francesco in Città di Castello, the original context of the 1504 painting. The project was realized by tech company Haltadefinizione, founded by director Giuseppe Sterparelli, and donated by Franco Cosimo Panini Editore. The painting was commissioned by the Albizzini family for the Cappella di San Giuseppe and was forcibly removed in 1805 to be donated to General Lechi; it now resides at the Pinacoteca di Brera. The clone was created in November 2020 during the Raffaello 2020 celebrations, using Gigapixel technology to capture the material relief and three-dimensional brushwork. The church facade hosted projections of the painting, while inside, the 3D work was isolated in a restored 19th-century frame. Visits were accompanied by music by Salvatore Sciarrino, based on Franz Liszt's 'Deuxième année de Pèlerinage'. The event is framed as a message of resistance and cultural recovery during the pandemic.