Restauration of the sgraffiti of the Maison du Peuple de Pâturage in Colfontaine
The Maison du Peuple de Pâturages, built in 1903 by Eugène Bodson, forms, together with the neighbouring Grand Magasin du Peuple (1913), an exemplary art nouveau ensemble of the cooperative architecture in the beginning of the 20th century. Enlarged in the 1920s, it housed banquet rooms, meeting premises and a café. Its façade is decorated with sgraffiti by Paul Cauchie, with a particularly remarkable panel devoted to the theme of “The Triumph of Work.”
Paul Cauchie (1875-1952), a Belgian architect, painter and decorator, was one of the artists who revived sgraffiti in the beginning of the 20th century. The sgraffito technique consists of a decorative wall fresco, created by scratching in a fine layer of colour mortar. The term is borrowed from the Italian (‘sgrafitto’ means ‘scratched’). It is the name of a technique forgotten and reapplied during the Renaissance and the Art Nouveau period.
The Maison du Peuple [People’s House] is a vast building featuring a rather classic line with Art Nouveau elements, including sgraffiti. This rich architectural dimension justifies its listing as a monument on 28 October 1982, on historical and artistic grounds.
The property of a local cooperative with scant financial resources, the Maison du Peuple de Pâturages has been undergoing restoration under a project pursued jointly with the Heritage Institute (on 1st January 2018 : “Wallonia Heritage Agency”, new designation) and the Colfontaine Cultural Centre. The Cultural Centre opened a project account with the King Baudouin Foundation Belgium and the funding obtained made it possible to conduct the study on the sgraffiti before restoration.
Under a sgraffito restoration project, the Institute estimated the works needed to remake the moulded plastering of the front part prior to the sgraffiti so as not to damage them when restoring the façade.
Cost of the restoration of the front part of the façade and the sgraffiti
An estimated budget of $165,000 would be needed to restore the front part of the façade and the sgraffiti. The work on the front part would be carried out by a contractor and the sgraffiti would be restored in one or more finishing stages with the sgraffito technique, organized by the Centre for Heritage Skills.
Fundraising
Funding is sought for all these works, where the cost of restoring the sgraffiti would amount to +/- $29,000.
Contact
Wallonia Heritage Agency – Thomas Deruyver
thomas.deruyver@awap.be
+32 81 654 166