In 2022, Raphael Sanzio's Processional Cross with Franciscan Saints was relocated to a new display case at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan as part of the museum's expansion and renovation project. Created around 1500, the painted wooden cross required environmental and security protection, as well as a lighting solution that would enable visitors to appreciate its fine details, colours, and textures. Lighting designer Marco Miglioli met this challenge by combining a carefully engineered display case with an integrated lighting system that used Rosco OPTI-SCULPT™ lenses and Lighting Filters.
Raphael’s Processional Cross with Franciscan Saints at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum.
Architects Luca Rolla and Alberto Bertini, who designed the museum extension, developed a bespoke display case based on detailed specifications provided by Marco Miglioli. To avoid glare and shadows, the light sources were integrated inside the case. This arrangement allowed the Cross to be illuminated with soft grazing light, highlighting its details, reliefs, and punchwork. However, the low-profile case design meant that the projectors had to be positioned close to the artwork, making it difficult to achieve uniform illumination between the foot and the upper terminal of the Cross.
Display case under construction. Eight independently controlled projectors were built into the case to illuminate the Cross from all sides.
To address this issue, a special translucent film was applied to the upper surface of the display case to reflect some of the light onto the Cross, ensuring uniform illumination. To further optimise the light distribution, Rosco OPTI-SCULPT 10° × 20° beam-shaping lenses were integrated into the projectors to create an elliptical beam that concentrated most of the luminous flux along the two arms of the Cross.
Left: Explanatory sketch by Marco Miglioli showing the projectors and light reflections generated by the translucent film. Centre and right: The Cross inside its display case, illuminated using Rosco lighting solutions.
In addition to the OPTI-SCULPT lenses used for beam shaping, Miglioli installed two Rosco correction filters inside each projector to adjust the light spectrum, harmonising the warm tones of the Cross's gold surfaces with the gilded frames of the paintings displayed in the room.
The Cross in the Poldi Pezzoli Museum gallery alongside other works in the collection.
Describing the impact of the new lighting, Miglioli said: “Through the new lighting we designed, the artwork appears brighter and more luminous, resembling a piece of fine goldsmithing. The punched decorations, gilded reliefs, and Raphael's colours now stand out in their full three-dimensionality.”
Details of the terminals illuminated without (left) and with (right) Rosco correction filters.
Rosco correction filters were also used to reduce the impact of light exposure on the artwork. Because the projectors were positioned close to the Cross, which was painted with natural pigments, the blue component of the light spectrum would have caused colour degradation over time. Rosco correction filters helped reduce the portion of the spectrum most responsible for pigment deterioration.
Left: Original spectrum of the light fixture. The portion of the spectrum that most significantly contributes to the damage of painted works is highlighted in light blue.
Right: Modified spectrum achieved using Rosco correction filters. The area highlighted in light blue shows a reduction in the harmful component affecting paint pigments.
Reflecting on the project, Marco Miglioli highlighted that museum lighting must balance visual appreciation with conservation: “For us, lighting a museum or a work of art does not simply mean making it visible but means, while still ensuring its best possible appreciation, protecting and preserving it for future generations.”
Marco Miglioli received a LIT Lighting Design Award for this project in 2024. He was also honoured with the German Design Award 2026 in the category “Excellent Architecture – Lighting Design,” which recognises the extensive research and development undertaken to prevent the long-term degradation of pictorial pigments caused by light exposure.
To learn more about Marco Miglioli’s work, visit his website marcomiglioli.com or follow @miglioli.m on Instagram. For more information about the products Marco Miglioli used to illuminate Raphael’s Cross inside the Poldi Pezzoli Museum, visit the OPTI-SCULPT and Lighting Filters product pages on the Rosco website.
Tatiana Massano August 27, 2026 Questions?
Content Marketing Specialist: Based in the Madrid office, Tatiana is ideally positioned to share inspiring stories of how customers use Rosco products to accomplish their ideas in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.