sgraffito noun (pluralsgraffiti)
Etymology: Italian, from past participle of sgraffire to
scratch, produce sgraffito Date: circa 1730 1. decoration
by cutting away parts of a surface layer (as of plaster or clay) to expose
a different colored ground — compare graffito2. something
(as traditional Pennsylvania Dutch pottery) decorated with sgraffito
sgraffito n. (pl. sgraffiti) a form of decoration made by scratching through wet plaster on a wall or through slip on ceramic ware, showing a different-coloured under-surface. Etymology:
It., past part. of sgraffire scratch f. s- = EX-(1) + graffio scratch
sgraffito
zɡrɑ:ˈfi:təu n. (pl. sgraffiti) a form of decoration made by
scratching through wet plaster on a wall or through slip on ceramic ware,
showing a different-coloured under-surface. [It., past part. of sgraffire
scratch f. s- = EX-(1) + graffio scratch]
Sgraffito
a decorative wall painting, produced by layers of plaster
applied to a moistened surface and afterwards operated on so as to
produce a picture.
Sgraffito \Sgraf*fi"to\, a. [It.] (Paint.)
Scratched; -- said of decorative painting of a certain style,
in which a white overland surface is cut or scratched
through, so as to form the design from a dark ground
underneath.
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