A localized corrective refinement made late in the carving process to adjust detail, transition, edge, or surface without broadly reworking the sculpture.
Ritocco is a final corrective touch or local refinement. Le voci del marmo documents “finitura e ritocchi con scalpello e raspa,” showing the chisel and rasp used for late-stage adjustments.
Etymology
From Italian ritoccare, “to retouch or touch again.”
Sculptor Notes
A ritocco should solve a specific problem. Late indiscriminate reworking can weaken crisp structure or produce a patchy surface; the sculptor should know exactly what relationship is being corrected.
References
https://levocidelmarmo.sns.it/lista_video.php