Since 1908, valuable jewels and two 16th-century sculptures from the French Renaissance era have been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In a unique agreement using advanced technology, France will produce accurate 3D duplicates of these items, which will then be installed in the French castle that was once the original home of these artworks.
As a result of a unique collaboration between the New York-based Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Dordogne department in the southwest of France, there is a plan to produce a precise 3D replica of two statues. The sculptures, which were created by an unknown artist in the early 1500s, depict scenes from the Bible called “Entombment of Christ” and “Pieta With Donors.”
Over the next few months, the Semitour tourism promotion agency based in Dordogne will collaborate with the Atelier of Fac-Similes Perigord (AFSP) to create replicas of the sculptures. The original statues have been situated in the chapel of the Biron chateau in Dordogne for approximately 400 years. The sprawling fortress is strategically located on a promontory and consists of structures from various eras, including a 12th-century dungeon.
During a visit to the Met, Germinal Peiro, the president of Dordogne, mentioned that the chateau, which has undergone damage and reconstruction over the centuries, has been owned by the Dordogne department since 1978. He also stated that the department has designated the fortress as a historical monument.
C Griffith Mann, the Met’s curator of medieval art, and Francis Rigenbach, the head of the Perigord atelier, have stated that the artisans will employ 3D scanners to produce digital images of the sculptures. They will not move or disturb the original statues during the process.
Rigenbach stated that using a digital “cast” would enable the team to create exact copies without causing any damage. The replicas are anticipated to cost approximately $375,000 and will be installed in the original locations within the Biron chapel.