Villa Masseria
Villa Masseria, a 16th–18th century Sicilian villa, contains tempera wall and ceiling paintings with figurative and ornamental motifs alongside decorative stucco. Conservation interventions included cleaning and stabilisation of the painted surfaces, structural consolidation of plaster layers using lime-based grouts and micro-injections, and pictorial reintegration using gouache.
Lost ceiling motifs were reconstructed using the traditional spolvero technique — designs were traced, perforated, and transferred by pouncing dry pigment through the stencil.
Before whitewash cleaning
After whitewash cleaning
The spolvero technique was used to reconstruct lost ceiling motifs. Designs were traced onto paper, the outlines perforated with a needle, and dry pigment pounced through the holes to transfer the pattern onto the prepared surface before painting.
Before reconstruction
After reconstruction
Complete assessment report documenting the condition of the painted wall surfaces, deterioration patterns, and proposed conservation strategy.