One of the most unknown treasures of our artistic heritage are the work of «stucco volume» who treasure the «Casitas» that King Carlos IV is build in El Pardo, Aranjuez and El Escorial. In this project we will try the roof of «stucco volume» of the room of silks from the House of the Prince of El Escorial.
According to the documentation, Juan Bautista Ferroni begins the work of decoration and design in 1789. In 1795 the Plasterers José Ginés continues the work of decoration, aided by a team of officers other than the employee by Ferroni.
These ceilings stand is made of stitched with lime-sand brick vault, subsequently carries a plaster of lime-sand brick crushed and topped with ornaments made in plaster.
The arrangement of decorations consists of four ornate themes in limes with cameos, representing allegories. All this in the vaulted area. The flat central area houses two cameos and performances of high relief with scrolls, wreaths, and human figures. The mouldings are made of lead and gold to the armhole in two tones of fine gold. The carving is very fine and each item is different. All this is modeling and then emptied and placed. We have also found that many of the elements are carved «in situ». The work is an extraordinary smoothness and delicate.
The alterations that have suffered these ceilings, are caused by leakage of water from lead covers. We have found that these problems have been happening is regularly in time, since the roof is involved at different times and by different hands.
Previous interventions are made in plaster and are very rough, as compared to the original. As the preparation of plaster with water have produced sales repeated leaks, which has led to the loss of decorations, since plasters were altered and very dusty. Pearl ornaments and leads are repainted glitter with volume loss.
The intervention of restoration begins with a map marking the different alterations: lack of volume, sales, cracks, purplish inadequate previous speeches, sample, etc.
Then proceeded to clean up everything that was in bad state, reaching the support of brick. Elimination of sales. Reconstruction of all the missing elements, using moulds and in many cases completing molding «in situ» as the original did. Complete the decorations with rigor and perfectly documented has been the purpose of this intervention, which is very delicate and requires the best team of specialists in «gypsum stucco».
We believe very interesting disclosure of this type of works of our artistic heritage of great beauty, true works of relief sculpture, and that because of the difficulty of viewing, since they are in small rooms and low ceilings, few people know.
National heritage has been doing in the last twenty years a real effort in the rigorous restoration of their artistic heritage that many times we do not know in depth by its complexity and magnitude.
