Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums

The Photographic Archive of the Vatican Museums has the very important responsibility of digitally and photographically cataloguing images of all the works of art in the Vatican. Their help is essential to regular observation and documentation of the status of the pieces in the collection, but most of their work is connected to restoration projects. Before an intervention begins, they take multiple photographs of the current condition of the artwork. Their responsibilities include chronicling the intervention, progress and noting any irregularities that are discovered during the restoration process. At the end of the restoration, they are on hand to take the final images that testify to the beauty of the
finished project. Thanks to the hard work of the Photographic Laboratory team, the Vatican Museums editorial has all the images necessary for their publications. Their work directly benefits the Patrons by supplying current images for restoration updates, our newsletter and this very Wishbook!

In the past they have helped the Patrons Office produce special volumes of several historic restoration projects that include the Niccolina Chapel, the Bramante Staircase, the Sistine Frescoes, Raphael’s School of Athens and the Carriages Museum. The Photographic Laboratory is continuously advancing their instrumentation and techniques to improve the quality and resolution of their photographs. In this effort to offer the best images to our curators, restoration teams, visiting experts, and Patrons, they would like to acquire a new camera. With a single picture, this camera is able to produce both digital and analogical images. The dual capabilities of this camera are paramount for
the preservation, restoration and educational missions that we promote. The digital images are essential for academic presentations, scientific and popular publications and for the variety of needs of the Patrons. At the same time, the analogical images are critical in supporting the technicians in their work of restoration and conservation. The ideal instrument for the future of the Photographic Laboratory is therefore a camera that converts photographs to both digital and analogic images. Our staff requests the help of the Patrons to purchase the camera that they have selected as described above.