Zprávy památkové péče 2020, 80(3-4):330-341 | DOI: 10.56112/zpp.2020.3.09

Technological findings on the stucco decoration of the Imperial Room in Bučovice

Veronika K. Wanková¹, Renata Tišlová², Peter Majoroš², Vojtěch Krajíček²

¹ KTF, Univerzita Karlova v Praze

² Fakulta restaurování Univerzity Pardubice

The article is based on new findings on stucco decoration in the Bučovice castle in Moravia. It focuses on the stucco located in the Imperial Room, the most ornate hall from the time of Jan Šembera Černohorský of Boskovice. The Imperial Room is decorated with the coat of arms of the Boskovice family, which is complemented by four stucco figures in the lunettes of the room. These full-plastic statues of Mars, Diana, Europe, and Emperor Charles V are complemented by stucco busts above the windows, painted grotesques, and five panel paintings in stucco frames on the ceiling.
The painting and sculptural decorations of the individual rooms on the ground floor of Bučovice castle date back to the period between 1580, when the castle's windows were glazed, and Šembera's death in 1597. Given that the decoration was modified several times over the centuries, it was not always clear whether the authentic work from the end of the 16th century is what was truly being evaluated, or rather a work that had been secondarily modified (albeit respecting the original layer). This is why many research studies were created on the basis of external observation and without the possibility of obtaining a deeper knowledge of the true condition of the sculptures.
A recent restoration has provided clarification as to what material was used in Bučovice and how the sculptures were constructed and technologically designed. It was found that no statue was created by casting from a mold. On the contrary, in the sculptures of Charles V, Europe, and Diana the artist applied the stucco material on an inner wooden structure gradually and in layers. The statue of Mars was the only one made of terracotta; it was created by creating several separate parts which the sculptor then assembled and finished with white stucco. Recent research identified at least six parts forming the head, torso, and limbs. The sculptor placed the head on a wooden prism and fixed the joints between the other parts with nails, covered at the point where the arms connect with a laminated cloak. The lower limbs are without armature and are connected to a skirt, also made from terracotta. The difference in Mars can already be sensed when assessing its artistic qualities. The sculptor devoted considerable attention and effort to this particular statue; this is reflected in particular in its more dramatic counterpost as well as in the anatomical and physiognomic details that individualize its appearance.
Although the statue of Mars differs in many respects from the other sculptures, a material analysis of its stucco mortar clearly confirmed the connection with the other sculptures in the collection; this can be derived from the composition of the stucco mixture composed according to an all'antica recipe based on quality lime and crushed marble. The question therefore arises as to whether one artist could have created three completely stucco sculptures for Bučovice and used a terracotta core only for the statue of Mars. It cannot be ruled out that the sculptor could have prepared the terracotta statue of Mars as a model for Bučovice that was to be followed by other sculptures made only from stucco. The difference in material with Mars as well as the differing creative approach, however, may also indicate a workshop practice, in which both stucco and terracotta were used. Perhaps these differences in the material used may indicate how the Bučovice stucco workshop could have operated. The terracotta Mars could have served in the workshop as a model for another sculptor to complete the other sculptures.
As for the busts of the ancient emperors, the research revealed that they were created using the same creative process as the statues in the lunettes, and they were not castings or linings. The two other figures of Leda and Jupiter from the Bučovice Bird Room must also be placed into context; according to their color, they appear to be terracotta. However, the research revealed that their current appearance that imitates terracotta is secondary; the originals were most likely presented in white as well. In the spirit of ancient tradition, the surface of the Renaissance stucco was left in white. This was also the case in the Imperial Room, where the noble appearance of the statues was achieved only by the composition of the malleable mixture and a type of surface treatment of the statues which brightened them optically. Their white color was probably associated with localized gilding, used in combination with colored glass to imitate precious gems and a uniquely executed polychromy (Mars' black helmet, the blue of the stucco ribs). The colored glass inlaid into the surface of the sculptures then completed the representative appearance of the stucco decoration.
The uniqueness of the Bučovice stucco sculptures lies in the way they were created, the high degree of preservation of the Renaissance substance (although currently hidden under the layer of secondary alterations), and in the artists' efforts to provide a uniform visual appearance despite their material inhomogeneity. The stucco artist also managed to achieve a uniform tone in the room with a sort of iconographic assemblage, characteristic for the Bučovice castle. The new decorative and meaningful whole was thus born by combining seemingly disparate motifs. The sculptures, together with the paintings and ornaments, are sensitively incorporated into the room's prepared layout and thus maintain the basic concept of the ceiling, linings, cartouches, and lunettes; this underlined the room's main importance, namely to celebrate the Boskovice family using references to bravery, nobility, and the favor of the gods. This obtained technological knowledge will contribute to a new perspective on interpreting the development of the Bučovice stucco works while at the same time illustrating how their author (or authors) likely proceeded. Thanks to the restoration research, we now have a deeper insight into how the artists worked when decorating the chateau. The conclusions of the ongoing survey of the sculptures in the Bird Hall, as well as a planned overall restoration research of the fresco paintings, will contribute to further clarification.

Keywords: Bučovice, Imperial Room, Jacopo Strada, terracotta, stucco all'antica

Published: September 1, 2020  Show citation