2023 - The Alhambra Casts in Cambridge
The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge is home to 15 casts of unique importance: they are casts of the original decoration at the remarkable and world-famous Alhambra Palace in Grenada, Spain, the city-fortress of the last Muslim kingdom in Europe. Unfortunately, in the 19th century a Spanish architectural team radically altered the site through inaccurate restoration work. These casts are therefore crucial for seeing the palace in its original glory, but they were themselves in a poor state of preservation and thus inaccessible to researchers.
This project, supervised by Flavia Ravaioli, brought in a specialised conservator to restore 10 of the casts, allowing them to be brought back to display and scholarship. 3D scans were also carried out, to be disseminated to aid wider research and to create touchable gallery exhibits to bring more public attention to this beautiful artwork.













