diff --git a/src/components/projects.astro b/src/components/projects.astro
index c5af118..23835a7 100644
--- a/src/components/projects.astro
+++ b/src/components/projects.astro
@@ -34,10 +34,10 @@ const head = copy.sections.projects;
           {project.gallery && (
             <div class="project-gallery">
               {project.gallery.map((shot) => (
-                <a href={shot.src} target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label={shot.label}>
+                <button type="button" class="preview-trigger" data-preview-open aria-label={shot.label} aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-controls="project-image-preview" disabled>
                   <img src={shot.src} alt={shot.alt} width={shot.width} height={shot.height} loading="lazy" decoding="async" />
                   <span>{shot.label}</span>
-                </a>
+                </button>
               ))}
             </div>
           )}
@@ -53,3 +53,19 @@ const head = copy.sections.projects;
     ))}
   </div>
 </section>
+
+<dialog id="project-image-preview" class="image-preview" aria-label={copy.imagePreview.title}>
+  <div class="image-preview-toolbar">
+    <button type="button" data-preview-zoom aria-pressed="false" data-zoom-label={copy.imagePreview.zoom} data-fit-label={copy.imagePreview.fit}>{copy.imagePreview.zoom}</button>
+    <form method="dialog"><button type="submit">{copy.imagePreview.close} <span aria-hidden="true">×</span></button></form>
+  </div>
+  <div class="image-preview-viewport" tabindex="0" role="region" aria-label={copy.imagePreview.title}>
+    <img data-preview-image alt="" />
+  </div>
+  <p data-preview-caption class="image-preview-caption"></p>
+</dialog>
+
+<script>
+  import { initImagePreview } from '@/scripts/image-preview';
+  initImagePreview();
+</script>
diff --git a/src/components/projects.css b/src/components/projects.css
index 6379eb7..26141e1 100644
--- a/src/components/projects.css
+++ b/src/components/projects.css
@@ -57,15 +57,81 @@
   display: grid;
   gap: 18px;
 }
-.projects .project-gallery a {
+.projects .preview-trigger {
   display: block;
+  width: 100%;
+  padding: 0;
+  border: 0;
+  background: none;
+  font-family: inherit;
+  text-align: left;
   color: var(--acc);
   font-size: 13px;
-  text-underline-offset: 3px;
+  cursor: zoom-in;
+}
+.projects .preview-trigger:disabled {
+  cursor: default;
 }
 .projects .project-gallery span {
   display: inline-block;
   margin-top: 7px;
+  text-decoration: underline;
+  text-underline-offset: 3px;
+}
+.image-preview-open {
+  overflow: hidden;
+}
+.image-preview {
+  width: min(1500px, calc(100% - 32px));
+  max-width: none;
+  max-height: calc(100dvh - 32px);
+  padding: 16px;
+  border: 1px solid var(--line);
+  border-radius: 5px;
+  background: var(--bg);
+  color: var(--body);
+}
+.image-preview::backdrop {
+  background: rgb(0 0 0 / 85%);
+}
+.image-preview-toolbar {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: space-between;
+  gap: 12px;
+  margin-bottom: 12px;
+}
+.image-preview-toolbar button {
+  min-height: 44px;
+  padding: 8px 12px;
+  border: 1px solid var(--line);
+  border-radius: 4px;
+  background: var(--panel);
+  color: var(--acc);
+  font: inherit;
+  cursor: pointer;
+}
+.image-preview-viewport {
+  max-height: max(100px, calc(100dvh - 210px));
+  overflow: auto;
+  overscroll-behavior: contain;
+}
+.image-preview .image-preview-viewport img {
+  display: block;
+  width: auto;
+  height: auto;
+  max-width: 100%;
+  max-height: max(100px, calc(100dvh - 210px));
+  margin-inline: auto;
+}
+.image-preview.is-zoomed img {
+  max-width: none;
+  max-height: none;
+}
+.image-preview-caption {
+  margin: 12px 0 0;
+  font-size: 13px;
+  line-height: 1.5;
 }
 .projects .command-preview {
   border: 1px solid var(--line);
diff --git a/src/i18n/en.ts b/src/i18n/en.ts
index 7d48475..85dc836 100644
--- a/src/i18n/en.ts
+++ b/src/i18n/en.ts
@@ -216,6 +216,12 @@ export const en: Copy = {
     },
   ],
 
+  imagePreview: {
+    title: 'Image preview',
+    close: 'Close',
+    zoom: 'Original size',
+    fit: 'Fit to screen',
+  },
   projects: [
     {
       name: 'Lumina',
diff --git a/src/i18n/it.ts b/src/i18n/it.ts
index 996ac29..f05d74c 100644
--- a/src/i18n/it.ts
+++ b/src/i18n/it.ts
@@ -224,6 +224,12 @@ export const it: Copy = {
     },
   ],
 
+  imagePreview: {
+    title: 'Anteprima immagine',
+    close: 'Chiudi',
+    zoom: 'Dimensione originale',
+    fit: 'Adatta allo schermo',
+  },
   projects: [
     {
       name: 'Lumina',
diff --git a/src/i18n/types.ts b/src/i18n/types.ts
index 8e60140..5e31601 100644
--- a/src/i18n/types.ts
+++ b/src/i18n/types.ts
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ export type Copy = {
   work: WorkEntry[];
 
   projects: ProjectEntry[];
+  imagePreview: { title: string; close: string; zoom: string; fit: string };
 
   /** Small print at the very bottom. */
   footer: {
diff --git a/src/scripts/image-preview.ts b/src/scripts/image-preview.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cfe404d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/scripts/image-preview.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/** Native dialog provides modal focus containment, background inertness and Escape. */
+export function initImagePreview(): void {
+  const dialog = document.querySelector<HTMLDialogElement>('#project-image-preview');
+  const image = dialog?.querySelector<HTMLImageElement>('[data-preview-image]');
+  const caption = dialog?.querySelector<HTMLElement>('[data-preview-caption]');
+  const zoom = dialog?.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>('[data-preview-zoom]');
+  const viewport = dialog?.querySelector<HTMLElement>('.image-preview-viewport');
+  if (!dialog || !image || !caption || !zoom || !viewport) return;
+  let opener: HTMLButtonElement | undefined;
+
+  const setZoom = (expanded: boolean): void => {
+    dialog.classList.toggle('is-zoomed', expanded);
+    zoom.setAttribute('aria-pressed', String(expanded));
+    zoom.textContent = (expanded ? zoom.dataset.fitLabel : zoom.dataset.zoomLabel) ?? '';
+    viewport.scrollTo(0, 0);
+  };
+
+  for (const trigger of document.querySelectorAll<HTMLButtonElement>('[data-preview-open]')) {
+    const thumbnail = trigger.querySelector('img');
+    if (!thumbnail) continue;
+    // With scripting disabled the screenshots remain visible, without dead controls.
+    trigger.disabled = false;
+    trigger.addEventListener('click', () => {
+      opener = trigger;
+      image.src = thumbnail.src;
+      image.alt = thumbnail.alt;
+      image.width = Number(thumbnail.getAttribute('width'));
+      image.height = Number(thumbnail.getAttribute('height'));
+      caption.textContent = thumbnail.alt;
+      setZoom(false);
+      dialog.showModal();
+      document.documentElement.classList.add('image-preview-open');
+    });
+  }
+  zoom.addEventListener('click', () => setZoom(zoom.getAttribute('aria-pressed') !== 'true'));
+  dialog.addEventListener('click', (event) => {
+    if (event.target !== dialog) return;
+    const rect = dialog.getBoundingClientRect();
+    if (
+      event.clientX < rect.left ||
+      event.clientX > rect.right ||
+      event.clientY < rect.top ||
+      event.clientY > rect.bottom
+    )
+      dialog.close();
+  });
+  dialog.addEventListener('close', () => {
+    document.documentElement.classList.remove('image-preview-open');
+    setZoom(false);
+    opener?.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+  });
+}
diff --git a/tests/e2e/homepage.spec.ts b/tests/e2e/homepage.spec.ts
index 7fb045d..bcdc529 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/homepage.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/homepage.spec.ts
@@ -130,9 +130,9 @@ for (const locale of ['en', 'it'] as const) {
           );
         }
         for (const shot of project.gallery ?? []) {
-          await expect(page.getByRole('link', { name: shot.label })).toHaveAttribute(
-            'href',
-            shot.src,
+          await expect(page.getByRole('button', { name: shot.label })).toHaveAttribute(
+            'aria-controls',
+            'project-image-preview',
           );
         }
       }
diff --git a/tests/e2e/image-preview.spec.ts b/tests/e2e/image-preview.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7df1378
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/e2e/image-preview.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+import AxeBuilder from '@axe-core/playwright';
+import { expect, test } from '@playwright/test';
+import { getCopy, hrefFor } from '../../src/i18n';
+
+for (const locale of ['it', 'en'] as const) {
+  const copy = getCopy(locale);
+  const shots = copy.projects.find((project) => project.name === 'Deepfield')?.gallery ?? [];
+  for (const viewport of [
+    { width: 1280, height: 900 },
+    { width: 390, height: 844 },
+  ]) {
+    test(`image preview ${locale} at ${viewport.width}px stays in-page and is keyboard accessible`, async ({
+      page,
+    }) => {
+      await page.setViewportSize(viewport);
+      await page.emulateMedia({ reducedMotion: 'reduce' });
+      let downloads = 0;
+      let popups = 0;
+      page.on('download', () => downloads++);
+      page.on('popup', () => popups++);
+      await page.goto(hrefFor(locale, 'home'));
+      const url = page.url();
+      const dialog = page.getByRole('dialog', { name: copy.imagePreview.title });
+      for (const shot of shots) {
+        const trigger = page.getByRole('button', { name: shot.label });
+        await trigger.focus();
+        await trigger.press('Enter');
+        await expect(dialog).toBeVisible();
+        await expect(dialog.locator('img')).toHaveAttribute('src', new URL(shot.src, url).href);
+        await expect(dialog.locator('img')).toHaveAttribute('alt', shot.alt);
+        await expect
+          .poll(() => dialog.locator('img').evaluate((img: HTMLImageElement) => img.naturalWidth))
+          .toBe(1600);
+        await expect(page.locator('html')).toHaveCSS('overflow', 'hidden');
+        const zoom = dialog.locator('[data-preview-zoom]');
+        await zoom.click();
+        await expect(zoom).toHaveAttribute('aria-pressed', 'true');
+        await expect(dialog.locator('img')).toHaveCSS('width', '1600px');
+        await dialog.getByRole('button', { name: copy.imagePreview.fit }).click();
+        const bounds = await dialog.boundingBox();
+        expect(bounds).not.toBeNull();
+        expect(bounds?.x ?? -1).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
+        expect(bounds?.width ?? Infinity).toBeLessThanOrEqual(viewport.width);
+        await dialog.getByRole('button', { name: copy.imagePreview.close }).focus();
+        await page.keyboard.press('Tab');
+        expect(await dialog.evaluate((el) => el.contains(document.activeElement))).toBe(true);
+        await page.keyboard.press('Escape');
+        await expect(dialog).not.toBeVisible();
+        await expect(trigger).toBeFocused();
+        await expect(page.locator('html')).not.toHaveClass(/image-preview-open/);
+      }
+      const first = page.getByRole('button', { name: shots[0]?.label });
+      await first.click();
+      await expect(dialog).toBeVisible();
+      const results = await new AxeBuilder({ page })
+        .withTags(['wcag2a', 'wcag2aa', 'wcag21aa'])
+        .analyze();
+      expect(
+        results.violations.filter((v) => v.impact === 'critical' || v.impact === 'serious'),
+      ).toEqual([]);
+      await dialog.getByRole('button', { name: copy.imagePreview.close }).click();
+      await expect(first).toBeFocused();
+      await first.click();
+      await page.mouse.click(2, 2);
+      await expect(dialog).not.toBeVisible();
+      await expect(first).toBeFocused();
+      expect(page.url()).toBe(url);
+      expect(downloads).toBe(0);
+      expect(popups).toBe(0);
+    });
+  }
+  test(`screenshots remain visible without JavaScript (${locale})`, async ({ browser }) => {
+    const context = await browser.newContext({ javaScriptEnabled: false });
+    const page = await context.newPage();
+    await page.goto(hrefFor(locale, 'home'));
+    for (const shot of shots) {
+      const trigger = page.getByRole('button', { name: shot.label });
+      await expect(trigger).toBeDisabled();
+      await expect(trigger.locator('img')).toBeVisible();
+    }
+    await context.close();
+  });
+}