Analytical and chromatic characterization of the interior walls finishes in the Batlló House of Gaudí in Barcelona. A surprising discovery

Author(s): Ŕgueda Serra, Joan Casadevall
Paper category: Proceedings
Book title: Proceedings of the 5th Historic Mortars Conference
Editor(s): José Ignacio Álvarez, José María Fernández, Íńigo Navarro, Adrián Durán, Rafael Sirera
ISBN: 978-2-35158-221-3
e-ISBN: 978-2-35158-222-0
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Publication year: 2019
Pages: 396-409
Total Pages: 14
Language : English

Abstract: It is well known that Modernism implemented and promoted the decorative arts in
architecture. In Barcelona, chief town of the avant-garde in the bend from XIX to XX
centuries, the use of coloured lime stucco in the interior and exterior coatings of buildings
was very prolific. This paper presents the outcome of our chromatic study of the interior
walls of Gaudí House “Casa Batlló”, built in 1904 at the Pg. de Grŕcia boulevard. We have
inferred not only the materials and colours of finishing but also the execution technique,
which was innovative and involved a high degree of difficulty.
The systematic study of the interiors of the Casa Batlló's noble floor through different
analytical techniques has revealed the modernist finishes, serving as a basis for its
restoration process. The main rooms have been inspected and documented, and micro-
samples have been extracted ‘in situ’ to verify the presence of original coatings. The
combination of several analytical techniques carried out in different laboratories, together
with the deep knowledge of the artisan techniques of the stucco, the sgraffito and the
ironing of the lime-stucco from master artisans, have led to outstanding results presented
here in a novel way.

Online publication : 2019
Publication type : full_text
Public price (Euros) : 0.00