Wall decoration in Pyrgi, Island of Chios. White over black slip, with scratching to remove the white and make a pattern.

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Sgraffito (plural: sgraffiti; sometimes spelled scraffito) is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colours to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an outline drawing. This example, from Pyrgi, Chios, employs the standard white over black, scratching revealing the black and thus forming a pattern. This example shows a sgraffiti-covered wall of a house.

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Size: 4000px × 6000px
Location: Pyrgi, Chios, Greece, Aegean
Photo credit: © Ken Crocket / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: chios, decor, exterior, greece, pyrgi, sgraffiti, wall