The mysterious craft of 'scagliola' making which flourished across Europe in the 
18th and 19th centuries is currently enjoying a revival thanks to the dedicated craft researchers working in England, Italy and Germany.
'Scagliola' is made from pigmented gypsum ie. Plaster of Paris mixed with earth or mineral pigments to produce colour. It is usually mixed by a technique so that it resembles natural marble or granite. The work is them polished to a marble like finish.
Russborough has a magnificent example of a 'scagliola' table made by Don Pietro Belloni which is dated 1750 and can be seen in the Front Hall at Russborough. When Sir Alfred Beit purchased Russborough in 1952 he discovered the table top, but without the original base, in an outbuilding at Russborough. He organised a new base to be built by Hicks of Dublin and the resulting 1750 'scagliola' top and 1950's base have been on view to guided tours ever since.
The large table-top needed conservation. To this end, the National Gallery of Ireland commissioned two conservators from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence. This table-top will return to public view in Russborough when the house re-opens n ther spring. At that time it will have be re-united with the splended gilded Rococo console base that Leeson had made for it when it first arrived in Russborough.
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