Bernini’s Salvator Mundi

The Salvator Mundi, Giovan Lorenzo Bernini’s last sculpture and part of the Fondo Edifici di Culto (FEC) of the Italian Ministry of Domestic Affairs, was on display from April 12th to August 31st at Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport. This display was part of a broader initiative by Aeroporti di Roma to celebrate Italian cultural heritage and offer Italy’s main airport as a place of artistic encounter.

The final facsimile © Oak Taylor-Smith | Factum Foundation

FEC’s loan of the original sculpture for the reopening of one of the airport’s major terminals required the creation of a facsimile for display inside the original niche. Thousands of visitors access the Basilica of San Sebastiano Fuori le Mura to see the Salvator Mundi and a facsimile has allowed them to still experience the work in its original context. Factum Arte and Factum Foundation’s expertise were recommended by Peter Glidewell for this project

The bust was recorded in high resolution in March 2023 by Voula Natsi and Imran Khan, using white-light scanning and close-range photogrammetry, in close collaboration with FEC and the Appia Antica Archeological Park, and with the support of Montenovi Srl for the handling. The data will assist in the condition monitoring of the original marble sculpture, and accurate data helped create a facsimile that is visually indistinguishable from the original.