The restoration of the ceramic elements of Casa Vicens
When I went to measure the property, I found it covered with tiny yellow flowers that provided the inspiration for the decorative ceramic elements of the house.
These are the words Antoni Gaudí used to describe to his collaborator Joan Bergós the impact of nature on his work—an endless source of inspiration we can still see today in the marigold and dianthus motifs on the decorative ceramic tiles he designed for the façade of Casa Vicens, which constitute some of its most iconic features.
The restoration of the building included a meticulous inventory of all its ceramic elements conducted to determine which would need to be replaced with reproductions manufactured using the same “trepa” casting technique employed in the manufacture of each priceless original.
This entails cutting a stencil out of a water-resistant material such as waxed paper or plastic that is placed over the surface of a prepared tile before applying a glaze of a specific color to the exposed areas with a brush or sponge.
The work of restoring the ceramic elements of Casa Vicens was entrusted to Manel Diestre, master ceramicist and founder of Sot, a studio specializing in the restoration and reproduction of period tiles for historic buildings.
