ASMR | The Lost Art Revealed: Ancient Scagliola Marble Technique

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Discover the traditional art of scagliola, a historic decorative technique using selenite powder, pigments and natural glue to achieve an effect similar to marble.

Watch as the Bianco Bianchi family workshop in Florence, Italy, walk you through the centuries-old scagliola process step by step — from mixing the squelchy plaster to polishing the final masterpiece with beeswax. The family have been masters of scagliola since the 1960s, passing their secrets and skills down through each generation, preserving the ancient art form to this day.

In this ASMR video, relax into calming sounds and mesmerising visuals as you join the artisans at work in their studio. Experience squelching, carving, pouring, cutting, squishing, drawing, painting, mixing and polishing, as the process unfolds. Ideal for lovers of artisan craftsmanship, art history, and relaxing ASMR content, the video celebrates a nearly-forgotten decorative art form, almost lost to oblivion.

Timestamps:
00:00 How was it made? Scagliola table detail
00:31 The Bianchi family, Florence, Italy
00:51 What is scagliola?
01:41 Scagliola materials – selenite powder, glues, pigment
02:24 Making the impasto – pouring, kneading, mixing
05:49 Slicing the impasto
06:29 Sticking impasto into the frame
07:43 Tracing the design – crinkly paper
10:05 Transferring the design onto the slab – precision
12:03 Engraving the slab with compressed air cutter
15:15 Inlaying with hammer and chisel
17:20 Preparation of coloured pigments – mixing
18:43 Applying the impasto colours in layers
21:40 Wringing out sponge, sanding
24:59 Inlays with the burin tool
28:03 Preparing more impasto colours
29:11 Applying next layer of impasto with spatula
29:35 Sanding
30:38 Polishing and finishing with beeswax
31:53 Final reveal

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🌷 See the Warwick Castle table at the V&A, that this replica was made from: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O7983/the-warwick-castle-table-table-baldassare-artima/

📌 Want to dive deeper into scagliola and other decorative arts? Take a look at the techniques in our Furniture Collection: https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/furniture