A special tactile visit allows blind and visually impaired visitors to discover the beauty of the sculpture through touch.
At the Cappella Sansevero in Naples, a special initiative has transformed the Veiled Christ, the marble masterpiece by Giuseppe Sanmartino, into a shared experience for all. The project, titled "La Meraviglia a portata di mano", offered blind and visually impaired individuals the opportunity to touch the famous monument, allowing them to explore its marble textures through touch for an intimate encounter with the material that is usually kept distant.
The Veiled Christ is made from a single block of Carrara marble, known for its extraordinary quality and purity, which allowed Sanmartino to carve the veil covering the figure of Christ with such skill that it seems like a real fabric. In this initiative, participants, wearing latex gloves, had the chance to touch the marble veil and the underlying figure, exploring the delicate folds of the sculpture. This exceptional event was made possible thanks to the collaboration between the Museo Cappella Sansevero and the Unione Italiana dei Ciechi e degli Ipovedenti.
La Meraviglia a portata di mano enabled visually impaired individuals to come into direct contact with one of the most famous masterpieces of Baroque sculpture, enriching the museum's cultural offerings and proving that art should not be a privilege of vision alone. As Giuseppe Ambrosino, President of the territorial section of the Unione Italiana dei Ciechi e degli Ipovedenti in Naples, emphasized, "The enjoyment of beauty must be understood as a universal right. Accessibility projects like La Meraviglia a portata di mano transform a museum into a place of true inclusion, helping to affirm that art is for everyone, or it is for no one."
The path also included the exploration of the bas-reliefs of Pudicizia and Disinganno, other Marian works of extraordinary artistic value. Each touch, guided by Roberta Meomartini, a tourist guide expert in tactile tours, offered a new perspective on the work, breaking down the barriers that separate art from tactile enjoyment. "The tactile experience of this extraordinary work represents a true democratization of the relationship with art," explained Maria Alessandra Masucci, President of the Museo Cappella Sansevero. "Organizing this day was complex and required months of work, but we are happy to offer once again, after more than ten years, a special experience to those who can appreciate the beauty of our artistic heritage only through tactile exploration. This type of initiative enriches our program for creating an inclusive and accessible cultural space through specific paths and tools calibrated to the diverse needs of the museum's visitors."
In this context, marble is not just a surface to admire, but a means to engage with beauty, transforming a work of art into a complete sensory experience that goes beyond the visual image.
