Ancient history,
modern lighting

Turin’s Egyptian Museum might house some ancient relics, but it’s no stranger to modern technology. The museum’s management engaged with Philips to fulfil two key objectives. Firstly, the lighting needed to brightly illuminate each piece without bringing out too much shadow. Secondly, the aging lighting in the Statuario (Statuary) needed to be replaced with a setup that would replicate the existing illumination, which was designed by Oscar-winning art director Dante Ferretti.

LED museum lighting was put to the test. Management had previously been uncertain about making the switch to LED, but once the lights were in place, the benefits were clear. In the Tomb of Kha, where so many items are on display, the artefacts were brought to life with bright, warm-colored light that minimizes shadows. Each piece is now given the attention it truly deserves.

In the statuary, the previous lighting had complemented the statues fantastically. However, the old transformers were failing, and the halogen lamps generated a lot of heat and dust. With Dante Ferretti’s blessing, we were able to use the MASTER LED spot light as a replacement. The concept behind the lighting hasn’t changed, but the statuary now benefits from warm color rendering without excess heat.

The new lighting in the statuary uses only 150 lamps – 80 fewer than the original lighting design. In addition, the new lamps use up to 80% less energy, and generate almost no heat. The museum’s energy bills have been greatly reduced, and because of the long life of LED, far less time is spent on maintenance.