HIMACS: Cappella Sansevero museum in Naples

Located in the ancient quarter of Naples, the Cappella Sansevero museum is the jewel in the crown of Italy’s artisitc heritage, expressing baroque creativity and dynastic pride, suffused with beauty and mystery.

The museum, famed as the home of the Cristo Velato, has recently opened a new bookshop. With the growing popularity of the museum, it was necessary to replace the exisiting decor with a more functional layout, but still keeping its personalised design, in harmony with the elegant refinement of the surroundings.

The bookshop, undertaken by architect and designer Marita Francescon, is located inside the sacristy, the last room to be encountered during a visit to the museum. This conservative work carefully kept the original features and was executed painstakingly, incorporating beautifully lit wall units with a geometric decor and neutral colours. The centrepiece of the project is the motif sculpted into the vertical surfaces, which was inspired by the original chapel floor designed by Francesco Celebrano in the second half of the 18th century.

The pattern itself, a symbol of the Grande Opera and a reminder of esoteric traditions, symbolises the bridge between old and new, and was made possible by routing into the latest-generation solid-surface material that is HIMACS.

The old light fittings, now obsolete, were replaced by new illumination using LED, underscoring the effect of ethereal lightness conferred by the white candour of the furnishings. The result is magnificent: the new bookshop furnishings, carefully selected to lend emphasis to the items on display, is not only beautiful, but also perfectly suited to intensive use due to the use of HIMACS.