Scagliola Fiorentina

Scagliola Fiorentina is the name of an artistic technique using a type of fine plaster (Scagliola) to imitate marble inlay, with a design being carved out on a surface that is then filled in with the plaster.

The surface can be slate, marble or even hardened Scagliola plaster, with the design being carved by hand. During the carving, blades etch out lines that act as separators between one section and another, so that the final colors do not blend together.

After carving, the Scagliola plaster mixture is prepared by combining the plaster, colored pigments, water and natural glues. 
At this point, the mixture is poured into the cavity of the carved out cavity. The surface is left to harden before being sanded and cleaned off to reveal the underlying design.

The final step involves wax polishing to brighten the colors.

In Florence, one of the greatest interpreters of this art was Ignazio Hugford, a Vallombrosian monk whose works are preserved at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure.

Scagliola Fiorentina originated in the first half of the 17ᵗʰ century but it was in the 18ᵗʰ century that it became a fully-fledged pictorial genre, when artisans were able to achieve shades and chiaroscuro contrasts typical of painting.

In the early 19ᵗʰ century, Scagliola Fiorentina experienced a new wave of popularity, thanks to greatly talented artisans who raised their skills to a level of extraordinary sophistication, adopting figurative subjects such as landscapes and historical themes, in keeping with the Romantic sensibility of the time. The tradition lives on today in a number of workshops in the Florentine area.