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| la scagliola Firenze - florentine mosaic artist - scagliola restoration - art of scagliola - traditional craft - inlayed marble - mappa tecnica scagliola |
Though it is not a well-known craft, the art of working with
scagliola has taken on a new lease of life in the last fifty
years, thanks mainly to a small number of artisan workshops
which have stubbornly and passionately continued to have faith
in this craft process,rescuing it from the oblivion it had
fallen into in the middle of the 1800s. Artistic craftsmanship the Art of Scagliola
The term ' scagliola ' refers to two things, firstly to a
particular process of coloured inlaying which uses"poor" materialssuch as chalk, pigments, and natural glues which are
mixed together(mescolare in Italian, hence the word meschia),
and secondly to a variety of gypsum called selenite, which is
found in a natural state in the form of flakes or thin
shavings. Artistic craftsmanship the Art of Scagliola
Certain physical properties of this stone -its shininess,
transparency, and pearly whiteness- have given rise over the
passage of time to a number of curious definitions such as
'chalk crystal', 'donkey's mirror', 'mirror stone', 'oil
glass', 'moon stone'.Art of Scagliola Artistic craftsmanship
The use of this material dates back to ancient times(the Romans
used slabs of mirror stone for the walls of the Circo Massimo
in Rome in order to obtain a pleasing whiteness) Artistic craftsmanship the Art of Scagliola and has been
used as a construction material, for decoration, and in
agriculture.It became an authentic medium of artistic
expression in the 17th centurywhen it began to be used highly
effectively to imitate marble veining and marquetry. With the
discovery of the ductility of the meschia it became a
decorative means in its own right, combining various artistic
techniques including painting (pictures and panels with views
and landscapes), inlay work (with scagliola in sanguine
bi-colours) and modelled forms (plastic scagliola for
fireplaces and relief frontals).
In historical terms, it is generally agreed that coloured mixes
of scagliola were being used around about the end of the 1500s
and the beginning of the 1600s in both Germany and Italy. It
can be claimed without doubt that in the 17th centuryCarpiin
Emiliawas the major centre where this technique was practised,
first of all in black and white, and then in polychromy, mainly
for ecclesiastical clients.
In the 18th century, Firenze and Tuscany definitively
recognised the merits of scagliola, mainly thanks to the work
of Enrico Hugford(1695-1771),a Vallombrosian brother: "where
others did not know how to use it (scagliola) to imitate the
colour of marble or some fanciful image, he perfected it in the
cleaning, reduced it further in terms of the design so that it
represented everything that perspective and the brush was
capable of creating in terms of vagueness" (Novelle Letterarie,
1771).
Works made of scagliola can be foundin Firenze in the church of
San Miniato al Monte, in the Oratorio di San Tommaso d'Aquino,
and in surrounding areas such as Settignano, Chianti, Valdarno,
and the Valdisieve, without forgetting the Abbazia di
Vallombrosa, which still preserves many of Hugford's works. Artistic craftsmanship the Art of Scagliola
The last significant examples of this working technique were
produced in Firenze in the 1800s by the Della Valle brothers,
and it was taught in the Accademia and at Livorno.
Hand made inlaid marble tables decorated in scagliola
Bespoke design and restoration Artistic craftsmanship the Art of Scagliola
Just two steps away from the Old Bridge is located the
Florentine workshop of Simone Fiordelisi (who carryes on his
father's tradition), where the ancient art of scagliola, born
in Italy at the end of 16th Century, lives again.
Through a long process and much patience, as well as Mr.
Fiordelisi's passion for his trade, these inlays are created:
the decorations are engraved by hand with hammer and chisels
and then filled with scagliola or mosaic, smoothed and
polished. Tables, pictures, panels and small marble objects can
also be realized following the customers' own designs and
obtain such a splendor that they can be considered unique works
of art, destined to increase in value over the years.
It is with great pride that Simone welcomes you to his
workshop: whit his experience he will be able to advise you for
the best choice of patterns and colours and for the right base
in marble, wood or wrought iron for your marble table - all
this studied bearing in mind the ambience where these unique
pieces will be located.
Thanks to these premises you will rediscover the ancient artistic traditions and skilled craftmanship that have always been a hallmark of Florence Artistic craftsmanship the Art of Scagliola
The art of Scagliola, an ancient technique used to imitated
marbles and valuable stones, originated in 1500. Artistic craftsmanship Two centuries
after its introduction, its period of splendour took place.
In the heart of Rome, a short distance away from the Coliseum,
the Paternuosto family revive this unique technique by carring
out the art of Scagliola which uses an accurate mixture of
selected materials and colours to produce special chromatic
effects. Scagliola is used exlusively on smooth marble surface
which are outlined and chiselled by hand are in turn filled
with a special mixture and then wax polished using an ancient
method.
Using this technique, it is possible to create artistic
handwork such as tabletops, consoles, floor decorations,
bathrooms and kitchens, family armorial bearings, as well as
precise furniture fittings and custom-made designs.
THE NOBLE ART OF SCAGLIOLA
The Noble Art of Scagliola
Noble and very ancient art, already known by the Romans, the "scagliola" lived glorious moments in Carpi (Emilia) during the
XVII century and in Tuscany in the XVIII century, before
spreading in the rest of Italy and Europe.
The Florentine workshop