Palacio De Mafra, The Throne room
Mafra is a pretty town, just a few kilometres from Lisbon, known for hosting one of the most colossal and extravagant palaces of Europe, the Palacio de Mafra. Built in the first half of the 18th Century using marble and stone limestone, the complex covers an area of 40000m2 and includes a monastery, a monumental basilica and a library with over 36000 ancient texts.
The palace is among the most richly decorated environments in Sala del Trono and is frescoed with works by the artists of Domingos Sequeira’s court, while allegorical motifs, painted by Cyrillo Volkmar Machado, embellish the spectacular ceiling.
As the highlight of the recent refurbishment, lighting designers developed and executed an incredible design in spite of the limited budget and conservation concerns.
The design team focused on using the flexibility of an ultra-compact luminaire, with a maximum power output of 5200 lumens, a high colour rendering index (95) and a large range of optics, to their advantage. A projector with a low invasive base, with articulated locking arms, which allows for on-site assembly and helps to appropriately orient the light was the perfect tool for this project.
The absence of protruding frames, or any other architectural elements on which a luminaire could be mounted or hidden, meant that the lighting team had to be inventive. They needed luminaires that were small, but with the same performance of larger fixtures. The ability to accessorise the luminaires with snoots and shapers was a bonus, it allowed the paintings to be grazed while reducing the risk of glare.
PRODUCTS USED Exenia: Museo Compact equipped with shapers (Medium optics, CRI 95 – 2700K).
Summary
Mafra is a pretty town, just a few kilometres from Lisbon, known for hosting one of the most colossal and extravagant palaces of Europe, the Palacio de Mafra. Built in the first half of the 18th Century using marble and stone limestone, the complex covers an area of 40000m2 and includes a monastery, a monumental basilica and a library with over 36000 ancient texts.
The palace is among the most richly decorated environments in Sala del Trono and is frescoed with works by the artists of Domingos Sequeira’s court, while allegorical motifs, painted by Cyrillo Volkmar Machado, embellish the spectacular ceiling. As the highlight of the recent refurbishment, lighting designers developed and executed an incredible design in spite of the limited budget and conservation concerns.
