As part of the institutional research project “Art as a Witness of Time: Preservation of Skills and Revitalization of Traditional Sculptural and Conservation-Restoration Material Processing Techniques through a Contemporary Curriculum,” the Department of Conservation-Restoration at the Arts Academy in Split organized a two-day theoretical and practical workshop titled “Digitalization and Tradition: The Art of Scagliola” (April 8–9, 2026).

The first day was dedicated to lectures. The program took place at the Department of Conservation-Restoration (Fausta Vrančića 17a). Associate Professor Vinka Marinković, the workshop organizer and project leader, introduced the project and explained the concept of the workshop in her opening remarks. She also presented the guest lecturers: senior conservator Dr. Vanja Kovačić and Dr. Katharina Fuchs from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.

Dr. Vanja Kovačić’s lecture was based on her experience and participation in numerous projects. She addressed the scagliola technique and its presence in Dalmatia, offering a more detailed analysis through the example of the painted antependium of the altar of St. Spyridon from the Church of Our Lady of the Belfry in Split, which is believed to have been made using the scagliola technique. She also conducted a formal and stylistic analysis of the altar, introducing participants to the methodology and approach of art historical research.

Dr. Katharina Fuchs delivered two lectures in English. The first focused on the historical and technical development of scagliola, while the second addressed general issues of its deterioration and approaches to condition assessment based on Austrian experience.

The lectures were open to the public and attracted a large number of conservation-restoration and sculpture students, as well as professionals from cultural institutions (the Croatian Conservation Institute, the Conservation Department in Split, the Treasury of Split Cathedral, and the Museum of Archaeological Monuments in Split), along with private conservators.

The practical part of the workshop took place on the second day at the Church of Our Lady of the Belfry and was intended for advanced conservation-restoration students. Four students from the Arts Academy in Split (Polina Ashirova, Nika Hajdić, Lena Lušić, Nika Mjeda) and one student from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb (Lucia Kolar) participated.

The practical component included documentation of the altar, material sampling, and the implementation of test conservation-restoration cleaning procedures. All work was carried out under the mentorship of the aforementioned lecturers and professors from the Arts Academy in Split (Senior Lecturer Krešimir Bosnić and Associate Professor Nikola Radošević).

Based on the results obtained, a comprehensive conservation-restoration plan for the antependium and the altar is planned, and the findings will also be published.

Text by: Lucija Parać, student of the Department of Conservation-Restoration

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