A technique used in fresco painting where small holes are pricked along the lines of a cartoon (preparatory drawing), then powdered charcoal is pounced through to transfer the design to the wall.
From Italian spolvero, literally meaning 'dusting,' from spolvere 'to dust.' The term describes both the technique and the perforated cartoon used in the process.
Spolvero allowed Renaissance masters to work at incredible speed and scale—imagine transferring Raphael's complex Vatican frescoes without photocopiers! The technique was so precise that art historians can sometimes identify different hands working on the same fresco by analyzing the spolvero patterns and pouncing styles.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.