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Sgraffito tiles depicting a fortress
Unknown16th century -
National Palace of Sintra
Sintra, Portugal
An example of the sgraffito technique, in which the decorative composition is obtained by scratching through the glaze of the tile down to the bottom layer of clay, which thus appears with its natural colour. Sixteenth-century tiles depicting small fortresses were reused and placed (18th century) on the door and window frames of the Sala dos Cisnes (Swans Room).
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Details
- Title: Sgraffito tiles depicting a fortress
- Creator: Unknown
- Date: 16th century -
- Location: Lisbon (?), Portugal
- Rights Information: National Palace of Sintra
- Photo: Luís Pavão, 1999.
- Original Title (portuguese): Azulejos esgrafitados figurando uma fortaleza
- Material(s) / Technique(s): Glazed clay / Faience with Sgraffito
- Image Rights: © Direção-Geral do Património Cultural / Arquivo de Documentação Fotográfica
- Hispano-Moresque Tiles: The interior walls of the National Palace of Sintra are lined with Europe’s largest set of Mudejar tiles still in place today, most of which originate from Seville, although one should not exclude the (as yet still unconfirmed) possibility that many of the tiles were produced locally with the use of imported labour. Mudejar tiles were brought to Portugal with the arrival of Arab culture in the Iberian Peninsula, incorporating new ceramic techniques and decorative styles. This influence continued even after the Christian reconquest of the territory in the 12th century, later giving rise, in the 15th and 16th centuries, to the appearance of various types of tiles and the use of different techniques that reflected the evolution of decorative styles – alicatado, corda-seca, aresta, esgrafitado (sgraffito) and relevado (relief work). Visitors to the palace can therefore enjoy a unique experience, since they are afforded an overall view of this heritage in Portugal – a specific form of decorative coverings for walls and floors, involving the use of exclusive patterns, such as the motif of the armillary sphere or relief tiles.
- Type: Ceramics, Tiles
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