frescoed

Frescoed describes a surface decorated with a fresco, a mural painting applied to freshly laid lime plaster. In buon fresco, pigments mixed with water are painted on plaster while it is still wet, allowing the color to bond with the wall as it sets. By contrast, fresco secco applies pigments to dry plaster, which is less durable and more prone to flaking. The term fresco comes from Italian fresco, meaning fresh, referencing the plaster’s wet state during execution.

The technique has ancient antecedents and became especially prominent in Italy during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Notable examples include Giotto’s cycle in the Arena Chapel and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling, among many others in Mediterranean and European interiors. Frescoed walls require careful preparation, including lime plaster with appropriate hardness and the practice of working in giornate (singular giornata), completing a section before the plaster dries.

Preservation of frescoed surfaces is challenging: moisture, salt crystallization, and structural movement can cause deterioration, requiring consolidation, replastering, or controlled environmental conditions. In modern practice, frescoed works are still commissioned or recreated, with restorers using careful, noninvasive methods to maintain their translucence and luminosity.

This concise article on frescoed covers definition, technique, history, and preservation considerations.