Sgraffito In Change - 2nd International Conference

Original Realization vs. Secondary Interventions

The conference has been held by the Faculty of Restoration, University of Pardubice in cooperation with Hornemann Institute of the HAWK in Hildesheim and Palacký University Olomouc.

Sgraffito, as a plastering technique, has a primarily decorative character; it usually forms the final layer of the building envelope, which also means sgraffito plaster is exposed to the weather. A number of corrective, conservation or restoration interventions have taken place on various facades since the time of finishing their original decoration. Some facades have completely lost their sgraffito character and acquired the character of paintings or even reliefs (lime mash), their original material is often marginal or non-existent, as has gradually been confirmed by modern interdisciplinary research. This finding applies not only to the sgraffiti of the Renaissance, but also to the sgraffiti of the nineteenth as well as of the twentieth century. The 20th-century sgraffito does not often have the status of a protected monument, and thus it is particularly threatened by damage or even complete destruction during standard restoration works. Nevertheless, the approach to Renaissance sgraffiti was very specific in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries (i.e. before the advent of „modern heritage conservation“). So the question is, what is left of authentic sgraffito in such cases and how to perceive the authenticity in sgraffito realizations?