Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How does sgraffito create images on exterior walls?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Mural
Detail of Religion, mural in lunette from the Family and Education series by Charles Sprague Pearce, 1897; in the Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C.
Sgraffito is a specialized form of fresco painting used on exterior walls. The technique creates images through a process of layering and selective removal:
- Layering: A rough plaster undercoat is applied to the wall, followed by thin layers of plaster, each stained with a different lime-fast color. A final, fine-grain mortar surface is then applied over these colored coats.1
- Engraving: Artists use tools such as knives and gouges to cut or scratch through the top surface at varying depths. By removing specific sections of the outer layer, the different colored layers beneath are exposed, forming the desired pattern or image.21
- Binding: The colors are permanently bonded to the wall through the sintered-lime process.1
Modern applications of this mural technique may also incorporate textures created by impressing objects like nails or machine parts into the plaster, or by adding mosaics made of glass, stone, or metal tesserae.1