Salvatio Memoriae. Studies for the Virtual Reconstruction of the Medieval Sculptural Heritage

Abstract

The use of ICT technologies and Augmented Reality is now commonly accepted and proven in the arts, but there are still few studies related to medieval sculptural apparatuses. These, already since the Modern Age, have often been subject to manipulations that have caused the loss of parts and changes in their location, use and meaning. This research highlights the role that new technologies, three-dimensional reconstructions and AR strategies can play in this area of study. Specifically, the mausoleum of Luca Fieschi, a 14th-century funerary monument originally erected in Genoa's Cathedral of San Lorenzo and the subject of numerous relocations and rearrangements over the centuries, is presented as a case study. Today the tomb is a puzzle of 124 sculptural remains, and its original conformation is still a topic of debate among scholars. Some of the pieces are now being remounted in the crypts of the Diocesan Museum of Genoa: while this will allow the return of one of its greatest Gothic symbols to the city, it will also imply a reduction in scientific studies, configurational evidence and comparative analysis of the fragments. The paper shows how advanced techniques of representation can support physical museum setting, making explicit the design methodologies judged most appropriate. The construction of a catalog of digital twins will allow scholars a continuity of investigation of individual sculptural pieces and their configuration in reconstructive hypotheses; through specific AR narratives, museum publics will be given the opportunity to enjoy additive digital content in a playful and interactive manner.