Nude warriors, some riding horses bareback, fight with swords, lances, longbows and shields in vibrant 16th century Renaissance friezes on the brown and white facade of Stadtplatz 31, a remarkable late medieval ‘sgraffito house’ in the town square at Gmünd, Lower Austria, an historic medieval town on the Czech border. The small-scale diamond sgraffito pattern scratched on the facade is unique in Austria. Specialist tools depicted over the main doorway below the date 1565 suggest that at that time, No. 31 was occupied by a cooper or barrel-maker.
Gmünd, Lower Austria, Austria: nude warriors, some riding horses bareback, fight with swords, lances, longbows and shields in these vibrant 16th century Renaissance friezes on the brown and white facade of one of the two remarkable ‘sgraffito houses’ on the north side of the historic Stadtplatz or town square of this medieval town on the border between Austria and the Czech Republic or Czechia. Although both properties have Renaissance sgraffito facades added in the late 16th century, Stadtplatz 31, the house featuring the fighting warriors, was probably built first, in Late Gothic style in the late medieval era. The south front is covered with a decorative design unique in Austria, the small-scale diamond sgraffito pattern seen below the two-tiered frieze in this image. Over the arch of the main doorway, specialist tools depicted on a panel below the scratched date 1565 indicate that at that time, No. 31 was the home and premises of a cooper or barrel-maker. Sgraffito is the ancient artistic technique of scratching or cutting away parts of a surface layer of plaster, stucco or paint to expose a background of a different colour or texture.
Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Gmünd, Lower Austria, Austria
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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