3D DIGITISATION IN CULTURAL HERITAGE KNOWLEDGE AND PRESERVATION: THE CASE OF THE NEPTUNE STATUE IN BOLOGNA AND ITS ARCHETYPE

Abstract. In the field of Cultural Heritage, the availability of a complete, detailed and photo-realistic 3D model of the objects of interest permits to describe all the aspects related to geometry, colours and materials, as well as the work techniques and the decay state. Besides, it offers multiple possibilities for the documentation, the analysis and the study.

This paper describes the experience, carried out by the DICAM Geomatics group of the University of Bologna, about the 3D digitisation of two important statues of Neptune, by means of the integration of 3D image-based and range-based techniques. The two artworks, both realized by the sculptor Giambologna, are the big bronze statue of the god adorning the homonymous fountain, one of the most symbolic monuments of the city of Bologna, and its archetype, exhibited in one of the civic museums.

The obtained 3D models, beyond the important function of documentation, knowledge and preservation of the two objects, also permit a comparison between the small archetype, conveniently scaled, and the big final statue. In the manuscript all the surveying and data processing operations concerning the objects digitisation are described. Particular attention is paid to the problems related to the scale of the archetype and the comparison between the two obtained 3D models, with the aim to evaluate and represent the occurred changes.