Scagliola
Scagliola is a technique for producing plasterwork columns and sculptures that resemble marble. A hollow wooden frame is constructed which is then coated in plaster. A marble pattern is painted on the wet plaster, in a technique similar to fresco painting. When dry, the plaster is polished until it resembles stone. Because the colours penetrate deep into the plaster, the pattern is more resistant to scratching than with other techniques, such as painting on wood.
Scagliola columns became popular in Italian neoclassical buildings in the 17th century, and was imitated throughout Europe until the 19th century. In the United States it was popular in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The word is from the Italian scaglia, meaning 'chips' (i.e. chips of marble).
