Palazzo Maffei is emblematic of the Baroque in Verona with its characteristic facade ornamented with fine decorative elements. Today it houses the private art collection of Luigi Carlon, exhibited in a splendid Residence-Museum. The exhibition itinerary includes over 350 ancient and modern works ranging with the early 1000s through modern art to contemporaneity.
The lighting project, directed by Paolo Baldessari with lighting consulting by PERFORMANCE iN LIGHTING, required meticulous planning. Since there were design constraints prohibiting products that are visible or invasive within the monumental context, we selected compact products with miniaturized technology of minimum dimensions.
Some solutions specifically developed for this context were also significant, such as the special “soft” glass used for all linear floodlights for a homogeneous and diffuse illumination that minimizes harsh shadows. The exterior lighting of the facade needed to be calibrated and soft to discreetly highlight the richness of the decorations while creating the least amount of light pollution possible in the nearby piazza.
Facade lighting
The facade of the building frames the entire north-west side of Piazza delle Erbe. The first-floor architectural lighting enhances the five openings with an equal number of NOTTURNO 1000 linear floodlights with elliptical reflectors that illuminate the surfaces and enhance the richness of the decorations and the decorative carved motifs on the cornice above.
The second floor follows the order of the first, but the large window openings are lower. For this level, NOTTURNO 500 fixtures with intensive circular reflectors were used to illuminate the pilasters between the openings and the high, large floral motif frieze, creating a refined contrast between points of light and shadow.
All the NOTTURNO fixtures installed feature a warm colour tone at 3000 K, specially chosen to best express the colour of the stone walls that have been returned to their original splendour after careful restoration and cleaning.
Above it all there is a balustrade with six statues of divinities sculpted in local marble and illuminated in a scenographic and theatrical way using FOCUS+ ZERO floodlights for accent lighting, also at 3000 K.
Inner portico lighting
The entrance arch leading to the inner courtyard from the square is illuminated with MIMIK 20 FLAT dual-emission wall-mounted luminaires that adequately light the floor level of the access and, on the upper side, provide homogeneous lighting to the roof vault, creating a luminous frame for the wider opening of the inner courtyard.
In the large courtyard, the outdoor area of the restaurant is entirely illuminated with dozens of MIMIK 20 wall-mounted luminaires, at 3000 K colour temperature. All are equipped with an accessory frame that matches the wall surface to minimize the visual impact of the product installed and leave only the luminous effect of the switched-on fixture.
The MIMIK 20 FLAT dual-emission version was chosen for lighting the vertical surfaces of the building for its more compact size and ability to diffuse light over a large portion of the wall; for the lighting of the courtyard and covered portico, the single-emission MIMIK 20 with asymmetrical optics was selected to guarantee correct illumination at tables and ideal visual comfort.
The exhibition area of the museum is accessed through a unique helical stone staircase that runs from the lower levels to the roof, without any central support. The five statues located there are highlighted by small SPIDER+ 10 floodlights at 3000 K.
