A Masterpiece of Sacred Art and Innovation: The New Sculpture of Saint Nicholas the Greek in Guardiagrele
In the church of San Francesco d’Assisi in Guardiagrele, since 1343, the relics of Saint Nicholas the Greek have been kept, but until yesterday there was no representative statue of the Saint. The most faithful representation is the effigy clothed in the typical habit of the Basilian monks, while the face and hands are made of ceramic. Therefore, the San Nicola Greco Foundation of Guardiagrele felt the need to commission the creation of a bust of the Saint.
PROJECT DETAILS
Client: Saint Nicholas Greco Foundation
Materials: Sassafras solid wood
Execution: 3D scanning, organic mesh modeling, CAM programming, CNC machining, hand finishing
Dimensions: 50 x 70 x 130 cm (l x w x h)
Year: 2019
A commission for a faithful wooden reproduction
The study and research phase was overseen by a dedicated committee composed of the foundation, Maestro Angelo Catano, and Monsignor Giuseppe Liberatoscioli. The committee outlined the iconographic and symbolic characteristics that best represented the saint, taking into consideration all historical, artistic, and religious aspects. The realization was entrusted to the Francesco Carullo firm of Orsogna, upon the suggestion of the Ente Mostra dell’Artigianato Artistico Abruzzese of Guardiagrele. The sculpture project implemented the most innovative techniques of digital craftsmanship, with the collaboration of experts in the various phases of production.
3D scanning of the saint’s relics
To ensure the utmost fidelity of the statue to the existing face, 3D scanning technology was used. This technology allows for the acquisition of three-dimensional shapes with a precision of 0.5 mm, transforming them into a digital design. The scanning process also included the ceramic hands belonging to the original statue. The habit was worn by a model who posed according to the commission’s instructions, with a missal in his left hand. This phase was overseen by Simone Carullo, who was responsible for capturing the shapes and then pairing them to create an initial digital draft in the form of a point cloud.
3D modeling of the project
Subsequently, the digital sculptor Simone Rasetti reworked the scanned geometry using 3D modeling software (ZBRUSH), reconstructing the missing parts. With digital technology, the sculptor refined the geometric surface with detailed facial features; the entire process was carried out following historical documentation and guidelines agreed upon with the working group.
From the project to the realization of the work using CNC milling technique
The developed saint project was imported into the CAD-CAM Alphacam software. The purpose of this software is to generate paths by setting the appropriate strategy and tools, as well as all other technological parameters. The CNC machine follows the programming codes to create the wooden sculpture. Thanks to this type of woodworking, it is possible to obtain pieces with centesimal precision, and moreover, the shapes faithfully reflect those of the three-dimensional design. With certain programming criteria and machine settings, it is also possible to obtain surfaces with an excellent finish. As for the bust, it was divided into two main parts, front and back, and two secondary parts, the open right hand and the left hand with the book.
A roughing and finishing process was performed on all parts, and the statue‘s interior was hollowed out to lighten it, resulting in a total weight of approximately 50 kg. A 6mm diameter end mill was used for the finer details; the programming was divided into 26 work planes to create all the undercuts, resulting in a total of approximately 4.6 million lines of code. The wooden material had been previously prepared using a system of linear sections on the 3D CAD model to have the exact quantity and correct dimensions of the wood to be machined. The wood used was sassafras.
The final finishing of the sacred sculpture
Once the CNC machining was complete, the sculpture underwent meticulous sanding and detail refinement using a chisel. The piece was then transferred to the workshop of painter Nicoletta Legnini, who took care of the pictorial decoration. The wooden sculpture was prepared for polychrome decoration by treating its surface with a gesso primer by Lefranc & Burgeois, applied in successive layers and carefully sanded with gold leaf sandpaper to achieve optimal application of the pictorial material. Subsequently, it was painted with Schmincke’s “Mussini series 10” oil and resin artist’s colors. Some details were decorated with silver leaf, applied using the oil technique (mission). Finally, a light protective varnish, J.G. Vibert Lefranc & Bourgeois extra-fine retouching varnish, was applied to the work. To complete the project, a pedestal was made of sapele mahogany and an ancient Latin antiphon dedicated to the saint was engraved on the side surfaces.
The statue of San Nicola Greco is currently on display to the faithful and not at the church of San Francesco in Guardiagrele (CH).