Relief made from molded gesso and carved, often gilded is produced by which technique?

Relief made from molded gesso and carved, often gilded is produced by which technique?

• A. Pastiglia technique
• B. Sgraffito
• C. Inlay
• D. Intarsia

Answer: (A)

Pastiglia is a relief technique in which gesso (a plaster-like paste) is pressed into molds or shaped by hand to create raised forms, then affixed to a surface and often gilded with gold leaf. This produces a low, highly decorative relief that can be carved or incised for detail and is commonly found on panels and frames from Italian Renaissance and Baroque art. The gilding enhances the raised motifs, giving the appearance of carved metal or intricate sculpture. This exactly matches relief made from molded gesso and carved, often gilded. Sgraffito involves scratching through a surface to reveal a beneath layer, inlay is embedding materials into a surface, and intarsia is inlaying different woods to form patterns—none of these describe the molded, gilded gesso relief as clearly as pastiglia.

Pastiglia is a relief technique in which gesso (a plaster-like paste) is pressed into molds or shaped by hand to create raised forms, then affixed to a surface and often gilded with gold leaf. This produces a low, highly decorative relief that can be carved or incised for detail and is commonly found on panels and frames from Italian Renaissance and Baroque art. The gilding enhances the raised motifs, giving the appearance of carved metal or intricate sculpture. This exactly matches relief made from molded gesso and carved, often gilded. Sgraffito involves scratching through a surface to reveal a beneath layer, inlay is embedding materials into a surface, and intarsia is inlaying different woods to form patterns—none of these describe the molded, gilded gesso relief as clearly as pastiglia.