VENICE.- On July 10, the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice unveiled their new Multimedia Space, an interactive area that offers a unique glimpse into the Museum’s Scientific and Restoration Laboratories.

The Gallerie dell’Accademia is the only museum in Italy to feature an in-house scientific laboratory with a dedicated team, and the first to be equipped with a 3D digital microscope.

Through the use of 3D digital microscopy, ultra high resolution images make it possible to view otherwise invisible details that are essential for understanding the structure and techniques used to create the artworks, assessing their conservation status, and reconstructing their history. Inside the new Multimedia Space, visitors can explore the outcomes of the research conducted by the Laboratories.

As stated by Dr. Giulio Manieri Elia, Director of the Gallerie dell’Accademia di Venezia: "Today, we are proud to present an aspect of the museum that is perhaps less well-known, though no less excellent, alongside the renowned collection and acclaimed exhibitions. This new interactive space allows visitors to engage more deeply with the museum’s masterpieces while also offering a transparent window into the activities of the Scientific and Restoration Laboratories. We have worked hard to modernize both equipment and staffing, thanks to the efforts of our museum team and the generous support of the Venice International Foundation, Venice In Peril, the Associazione Best Talent di Venezia, and Banco Energia S.p.A. Società Benefit."

In the Multimedia Space, visitors will have the rare opportunity to explore Leonardo da Vinci’s extraordinary drawing, the Vitruvian Man in a way they never have before.

Ultra high-definition images, captured using the 3D digital microscope, reveal astonishingly magnified and never-before-seen details that confirm previously unverified hypotheses—such as the compass hole at the navel, evidence of a compass used during the drawing process, and a small circular stamp on the bottom edge of the sheet bearing the uppercase letters AV (Accademia Veneta), the collection mark added in the 19th century when the drawing became part of the museum’s collection. The Vitruvian Man is drawn on handmade paper produced from vegetable fibers derived from rags soaked and mashed into a pulp. The pulp, collected using a frame, was then pressed and dried on felts, forming sheets with light ribbing visible when held to the light. Despite being of high quality, this paper sometimes includes clumps, coarse fibers, and an off-white color. The 3D microscope images allow viewers to observe some of the colored fibers not fully integrated into the pulp. As explained by the exhibition coordinators — Maria Antonietta De Vivo, who also curated the architectural aspect of the project, and Stefano Volpin, responsible for scientific direction — these images not only reveal details that are essential for understanding the structure and execution techniques of the artwork but also help to reconstruct its post-creation history.

Detailed analyses of Leonardo’s drawing revealed a deep groove along the figure’s outline, carved over the ink lines. This mark was not functional to the drawing’s construction but was likely made later to produce a tracing. Along this groove, the paper underwent significant pressure, leaving it weakened and particularly fragile. Thanks to the digital magnifications available in the multimedia space, visitors can observe micro-tears in the paper in specific areas of the sheet.

The new Multimedia Space not only provides the public with access to valuable technical insights about the artworks but also allows the display of images and data from extremely delicate pieces that cannot be publicly exhibited due to conservation needs. One such case is the pastel on blue paper titled Portrait of a Young Girl with a Biscuit by Rosalba Carriera, which arrived at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in 1888. Two large blue eyes gaze timidly at the viewer. The girl, dressed in fine lace and delicate fabrics, holds a doughnut-shaped biscuit—a Bussolà, a typical Venetian sweet. For preservation reasons, the pastel is now stored in a climate-controlled vault. Thanks to the digital reproduction, visitors can admire even the smallest details, including tears and conservation gaps.

Additionally, the Multimedia Space offers the opportunity to explore another museum masterpiece— Allegory of Prudence or Vanity by Giovanni Bellini —currently on display in the major exhibition Modern Bodies: The Construction of the Body in Renaissance Venice. Leonardo, Michelangelo, Dürer, Giorgione, curated by Guido Beltramini, Francesca Borgo, and Giulio Manieri Elia, presented on April 4, 2025, and open to the public until July 27, 2025. This painting can also be examined in depth through high-resolution digital magnifications from the 3D microscope.

The Multimedia Space acts as a valuable resource — a bridge between the research conducted in the Scientific and Restoration Laboratories and the rich artistic heritage of the Gallerie dell’Accademia — enabling access to advanced technologies essential for the study, preservation, and protection of the Museum’s precious artworks.