This ambitious initiative achieved significant momentum in 2021 with the high-resolution 3D and colour recording of the monumental Baptism of Christ at the Hospital de Tavera in Toledo for Fundación Casa Ducal de Medinaceli. This was closely followed by the digitisation of the Annunciation at the Colección Banco Santander in Madrid — a masterpiece originally commissioned for that same Toledo location but removed and cut down.
The next phase of this multi-faceted project was undertaken in May 2026, when a team from Factum Foundation London digitised El Greco’s Concert of the Angels at the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum in Athens. Concert of the Angels is the upper section of the Annunciation. Since their separation centuries ago, each fragment has followed its own distinct path and has been restored in different ways.
Gabriel Coleman recording the Concert of the Angels © Factum Foundation
These high-resolution scans have unlocked entirely new methodologies for analysing and appreciating these complex artworks. The data has powered cutting-edge, machine-learning-based surface analysis and enabled the production of an exact physical facsimile for exhibition purposes. Above all it has nurtured a fruitful collaboration with the different institutions that now care for these works.
The recording of the Concert of the Angels was carried out by Ferdinand Saumarez Smith, Gabriel Coleman, and Alexis Niarchos using the Lucida 3D Scanner and panoramic composite photography. Once fully processed, this data will be integrated into the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum’s archives to serve as an open foundation for future conservation and research. In Madrid the data will be studied and re-connected with the Annunciation so that the painting can be seen as El Greco intended.
This successful campaign in Athens marks the beginning of a broader initiative in Greece. Factum Foundation is actively developing several projects focused on the conservation, study, and digital dissemination of Greek heritage. We look forward to sharing more information soon.
