New Technology to Help Preserve Old Sistine Chapel Masterpiece
VATICAN CITY—The Sistine Chapel receives six million visitors a year, with as many as 20,000 in a day. This has necessitated a “radical intervention” to allow for air circulation, dust suppression, and temperature and humidity control, said Antonio Paolucci, director of the Vatican Museums. To mark the 20-year anniversary of the restoration of Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museums are hosting a two-day international conference on Oct. 30–31. Much of the conference will focus on new methods being taken to protect the priceless artistic treasure. Carrier will provide a state-of-the-art HVAC system for the Sistine Chapel, specially designed to address the challenges of protecting Michelangelo’s masterpieces against deterioration. In addition, lighting company Osram retrofit the chapel with LED-based fixtures to highlight the frescoes. The project will involve custom-designed fixtures optimized for beam control and with a color spectrum that will highlight the pigmentation in the artwork. Paolucci said without the new HVAC system, there might be a “dangerous drift” preventing proper preservation.
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