Scagliola

Stucco marble is a faux real marble and is manufactured by a plasterer. In modern stucco craft this technique, however, is hardly common. At first glance, seems comparable the technique of stucco lustro, that is pure painting replacement of marbling. This but one assigns to the craft of painting, as it is painted on the finished plaster. Furthermore, it is also carved in the art of stucco marble. This technique is called Scagliola.

History

The use of stucco marble dates back to the Roman era. Excavations in Pompeii found stucco marble on the walls of wealthy houses and public buildings again. The use of stucco marble experienced its renaissance in Italy from the 17th century again. From there it moved to the north, where it was used heavily again mainly from the Baroque era. Churches and palaces were decorated with stucco marble, because it was an affordable alternative to real marble. The stucco marble in Feststaal from the Palais im Grossen Garten in Dresden is one of the earliest examples in central Germany. The method has also been used to in the early days of the late 19th century. In many of the Ringstraßenpalais in Vienna and in other public buildings such as the Imperial Council building, the university, etc. stucco marble. Outside of Europe, as in America, public buildings and houses of the wealthy were decorated with stucco marble. However, the increasing industrial mining of marble and the growing export business from Italy and India, and the discovery of additional marble quarries brought the prices down sharply and the art of stucco marble is nearly lost since the 20th century. Today the production and restoration of stucco marble is far more costly than the use of real marble.

Stucco lustro

Stucco lustro is the Aufmalung of marbling on a solid-colored, single-colored mortar base in smoothing technique. It is a pure Kalkputztechnik be in for a good base coat of lime and sand several marble sand / marble flour Sumpfkalkschichten " wet -on-wet " ( freskal ) frilly. It is always worked fine becoming upwards. In the last layer of the root of the marble is with added, followed by the wet plaster marbling is painted. Finally, the finished surface is painted with Venetian soap and smoothed with a bright, hot trowel / abgestuckt.

Not to be confused Stucco lustro with the gypsum-bonded artificial marble ( Scagliola ). Stucco lustro is relatively inexpensive and is characterized by the high gloss, but is a superficial imitation, while Scagliola is a full-volume copy.

Scagliola

More complex is the technique of Scagliola. For producing anhydrite mixed with stick water ( animal glues such as bone glue or pearl glue ), colored with pigments and kneaded. Kneading can be a long time, since anhydrite abbindet slowly and the bone glue the setting further delayed. The colored masses into each other kneaded marble -like, twisted and pressed to the so-called marble bread or marble cake, which is cut into about one centimeter thick slices and on the base (usually masonry) applying. If the anhydrite to gypsum is cured, it is roughly ground, defects are ausgespachtelt, and the surface is sanded with progressively finer abrasive stones. Then elutriation was repeatedly carried out with something thin liquid plaster with glue water. After re -fine sanding (eg agate or hematite) mechanically compacting polished using gentle pressure with a polishing stone.

Stucco marble already existed in late antiquity, but its golden age falls within the Baroque. The manufacture of stucco marble could be more expensive than real marble. However, some preferred builder stucco marble for their projects, as can be created with it color and pattern games that natural marble does not offer (eg blue marble with yellow ocher veining ). In addition, any large marble parts can be produced. End of the 19th century came stucco marble out of fashion.

In the 21st century there are still some restoration companies that can manufacture and repair stucco marble. Stucco marble has - in addition to the elaborate manufacturing - but some other drawbacks. It is not as hard as real marble (hence not suitable for example for heavy-duty stair coverings ) and is not weatherproof, as glue and plaster are water soluble.

More resistant cultured marble materials can be based on white cement produce ( or terrazzo resin with marble dust as filler ).

Training

In the GDR was formed at the reconstruction of the Semper Opera House in Dresden - it was re- opened in 1985 - a single craftsman several workers in the two artificial marble techniques. The maintenance of religious buildings in the GDR was not very pronounced, the knowledge of scagliola and Stucco lustro were therefore gone almost lost and were now revived. Elsewhere, such as in the northern Alpine region, such a loss of knowledge had never occurred.