3D scanning for restoration of the Gorky Literary Museum

In Nizhny Novgorod, for the 150th anniversary of A.M. Gorky, the restoration of the mansion of V. M. Burmistrova, where the Literary Museum named after the writer is located, is being carried out. RangeVision engineers participated in the restoration — they scanned the decorative elements of the historical interior.

The mansion of merchant V. M. Burmistrova is one of the most beautiful architectural monuments of the late 19th century. The building was built in 1882 by N. D. Grigoriev, an architect from St. Petersburg, in the style of academic eclecticism with motifs of Russian Baroque and classicism. After the nationalization of 1918, the mansion served as a historical museum, a dormitory, and a hospital. Despite this, the interiors have been preserved. In the process of their restoration, 3D scanning was applied, a modern approach to the preservation and reproduction of unique specimens. Products made of any materials can be digitized quickly, accurately and safely: wood, stone, metal, porcelain, bone…

RangeVision engineers scanned the dismantled decorative elements in the office and went to the museum to digitize large objects. Beautiful examples of wooden carvings were exposed to the structured illumination of the RangeVision Spectrum optical scanner. 3D models were created using scans and the lost fragments were recovered electronically. In Dmitry Zhamkov’s art workshop, new patterns were carved on a CNC woodworking machine. Imagine how long it would take and how much it would cost to repeat the carving manually.

This method was used to restore the ornament on the entrance oak door of the museum. The scanner operator applied a matting spray so that the glare of the varnish would not affect the shape reading, and pasted several markers to increase accuracy.

Some of the carved parts were removed and digitized at the RangeVision office. The post-processing of the scans was related to the refinement of the geometry, which swam with layers of varnish, and the construction of broken elements.

3D scanning can optimize other restoration processes, such as the restoration of plaster and plastic moldings. It is easier to make molds for casting new parts using 3D scans.

Interestingly, "Small, elegant, like a royal toy…" the Burmistrova mansion and the hostess herself became the prototypes for the novel by I. S. Rukavishnikov "The Cursed Family". It should also be noted that the memorable date of Gorky’s anniversary, March 28, was included in the UNESCO list for 2018−2019.

Photo: agentika.com