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Arts & Communication Digital reconstitution of lost heritage

which guided the architectural reconstruction. For the
textural elements, Quixel Megascans, a comprehensive
library of high-resolution scans, provided the base
textures. Arabescato marble scans were used to simulate
marble components, while a template of reclaimed wood
emulated the wooden flooring, walls, and ceilings. The
intricate details, such as room drapery, drew inspiration
from Samuel F.B. Morse (1791 – 1872) and his Gallery
of the Louvre (1831 – 1833) (Figure 1), adopting altered
carpet scans to resemble the depicted drapery, with specific
adjustments to color and texture parameters to achieve
historical fidelity.
For the virtual environment, diverse references and
templates were used to replicate architectural and decorative Figure 1. Samuel F.B. Morse, Gallery of the Louvre, 1831 – 1833, oil on
elements. Figure 2 (top left), captured at the Louvre in canvas, 73 ¾ × 108 in. (187.3 × 274.3 cm). Terra Foundation for American
Paris, France, portrays the entrance to the Salon Carré, Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection 1992.5; on view in The New Britain
Museum of American Art from June 17, 2017.
serving as a pivotal visual reference. Quixel Megascans
were used as the base textures for the building materials.
A megascan representing arabescato marble (Figure 2, top
right) served as the foundation for replicating the marble
elements observed. The flooring, walls, and ceilings of
the Salon, known to be wooden, found their emulation
through a template of reclaimed wood. Considering Pietro
Antonion Martini (1738 – 1797), entitled View of the Salon
of 1785 (Figure 3), which was the primary reference for
laying out and constructing the scene, the discernibility of
room drapery or the intricate decorative details described
in the Livret remained ambiguous. Drawing inspiration
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from Morse’s Gallery of the Louvre, which depicts red
drapery adorning the walls, a scan first representing a
carpet underwent alterations to emulate the color and
texture reminiscent of the drapery in the portrayal. More
specifically: the albedo tint was set to a maroon color; base
specular was set to 0.25; the specular desaturation value
was adjusted to 0.8; the specular override was set to 0.7;
and the normal strength was set to 3. Figure 2. Materials investigated for the Salon 1785 project. (Top left)
Two distinct paintings, Philoctete à qui Ulisse & Photo of the doorframe in the Salon Carré at the Louvre. Source:
Photograph taken by Dr. Trenton Olsen in November 2022. (Top right)
Néoptolème enlèvent les Alèches d’Hercule (1784) by Jean- Arabescato marble texture taken from the Quixel Megascan database
Joseph Taillasson and La nonchalante, tenant une brochure, (ID# ufojbixl). (Middle right) Reclaimed wood texture taken from the
prête à lui échapper de la main (1785) by Antoine Vestier, Quixel Megascan database (ID# ucemfcsg). (Bottom left) Doorway to the
were chosen for a comprehensive study on material Salon Carré as depicted in the 1785 VR simulation. (Bottom right) Salon
Carré as depicted in the 1785 VR simulation, showing the floor, ceiling,
composition. The painting by Taillasson is notably adorned and windows using different versions of the reclaimed wood material,
on the east wall of the Salon, as evidenced by its portrayal arabescato marble, and modified carpet drapery. Imagery created with
on the right wall in Martini’s engraving (Figure 4). In Unreal Engine 5 and Quixel Megascans.
contrast, the location of the painting by Vestier remains
elusive (Figure 5); the engraving offers no corroboration frame of reference, the sizes for both paintings are listed in
with the description of a man about to lose a flyer. While the Livret: Taillasson’s piece was recorded as 284.5 cm tall
the former artwork endures today, Vestier’s creation has and 228.6 cm wide, while Vestier’s painting is 109.2 cm tall
yet to be located, necessitating the use of AI to generate and 83.8 cm wide.
an image for research purposes, and Taillasson’s piece To enhance the material representation within the
providing a concrete basis for analysis (Figure 6). As a VR environment, normal maps were crafted for the two

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 7 doi: 10.36922/ac.2719