What is scagliola?
Scagliola is a decorative technique from Italy in which gypsum, animal glue and pigments are made into a material that looks like marble or inlaid natural stone. The name comes from the Italian scaglia, flake, after the flakes of selenite (a pure form of gypsum) that were used as the raw material. The technique flourished in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and was used for columns, pilasters, table tops, altars and chimneypieces.
How scagliola is made
- Gypsum is mixed with glue water and blended with pigments in various colours.
- The coloured masses are worked through each other, creating the veins and patches of real marble, or inlaid in a cut-out pattern.
- Once hardened, the surface is ground with progressively finer abrasive stones.
- Pores are filled again and again and ground once more.
- Finally it is polished and washed or oiled, producing a deep high gloss.
The result is cool and smooth, and on the surface often barely distinguishable from real marble. One difference: scagliola feels less cold than natural stone and is lighter.
Scagliola and stucco marble
The terms are often used interchangeably. Strictly speaking, scagliola refers to finely inlaid and polished work, often with patterns and figures, and stucco marble (stucco marmo) to larger surfaces such as walls and columns finished to look like marble.
Applications
- Palaces, castles and churches: columns, pilasters and altars, where real marble was too expensive, too heavy or unavailable.
- Table tops and cabinets with inlaid flowers, landscapes and coats of arms.
- Restoration: repair calls for specialist craftsmanship.
Care and maintenance
- Scagliola is sensitive to water and moisture, because it is gypsum-based. Wiping it with a wet cloth, especially with cleaning agents, can dull or damage the surface.
- Do not use acidic or abrasive products.
- Always have damage repaired by a conservator with experience in scagliola or stucco marble.
Related terms
- Imitation
- Marble
- Gypsum
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