SCAGLIOLA

By Melissa Vogley Woods

 ABOUT
Scagliola, pronounced “scal-yo-lah” is
a composite substance made from a
mixture of natural compounds such as
gypsum, selenite, glue and earth
pigments. It originates from the Italian
work scaglia, aptly meaning “chips”.
The process of Scagliola imitates
complex characteristics of marble or
other decorative stone. An organic
natural look is intrinsic to this process
and part of the material’s natural
beauty.
 HISTORY
Scagliola excelled during the Baroque era with masterful
examples dating before ca 1600 found in widespread use
in the greater European region’s churches, synagogue,
palaces and castles. First used as a replacement for
costly and time consuming marble inlay, Scagliola
gained a reputation and developed as its own art form.
The process made its way to the United States where
examples can be found in various libraries, state houses
and churches. At the turn of the century Scagliola had
nearly died out, until a recent resurgence in Italy, Russia,
Eastern Europe and England revived the practice. I am
one of the few practicing artists using Scagliola and I
have studied with original artists in Northern Italy and the
United States.
 !

PROCESS
I work with the same materials used in
the 1600’s with a few modifications
including a harder mixture of Gypsum. I
primarily use natural pigments including
earth pigments and some synthetics
depending on the desired color. After
scagliola is cured, the surface is slowly
ground down, sanded and buffed using
ascending grits of sandpaper to achieve
a refined smooth surface. It is then
polished with beeswax which makes it
waterproof and enriches the colors with
a natural glossy sheen.
 CHARACTERISTICS
Scagliola has greater thermal insulation than natural marble, meaning the marble will
always be cold to touch, but Scagliola may not be. It has a weak tensile strength and
strong compressive strength like concrete so some applications of Scagliola require
reinforcement with steel or fiberglass. You can also typically notice hairline cracks in a
Scagliola piece, which adds to the effect over time, like an aging oil painting.
 CARE
• Scagliola is a material you can and should touch. It is typically used in high traffic areas, on tables and
alters.
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• It is not suitable for exterior or wet areas due to its sensitive nature, A primary ingredient in scagliola is
Gypsum, which when exposed to water over time will return to its original form, that of a powder.
!
•If Scagliola does gets wet, dry it off immediately.
!
•Scagliola is not food safe: do not use it for food.
!
•Scagliola is fragile like ceramic, avoid collisions with other objects.
!
•Do not place hot or cold objects on scagliola. This can leave rings.
!
•Use coasters to prevent rings and stains.
!
•Take care to keep sharp objects away from the surface, while strong it can be marred or scratched.
!
•Do not use cleaning products or acid based solvents on your scagliola.
!
•Clean by rubbing with a lint free soft cloth and renew the polished surface by buffing with a thin layer
of high-quality Carnauba based waxes or creams.
 ENVIRONMENT
I run an environmentally conscious studio by
trapping all waste pigments, dust and materials in a
multi-tier filtration and drying system so that nothing
toxic enters the water system. I concentrate primarily
using non-toxic natural earth pigments or non-toxic
synthetic pigments. Scagliola creates very little
waste and the plaster glue and beeswax polish I use
are all non-toxic.