and admiring travelers. At Spoleto, near the cathedral, there is a large palace, covered with designs in sgraffito, which is attributed to Julio Romano.
It is in these houses of central Italy, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, that sgraffito attained its greatest perfection. The cartoons for the decorations were furnished by artists of distinction, while other craftsmen who helped to execute the work were also artists of ability.
The influence of the Renaissance began to be felt in England during the reign of Henry VII. The Wars of the Roses were practically at an end. and with the consequent time and leisure available the possibilities for intellectual culture were vastly increased. The new learning crossed the channel and gained a firm foothold on British soil.
In the reign of Henry VIII Italian influence became even stronger, in spite of the monarch’s constant quarrels with the Church of Rome. The
cultural expression, fostered by Renaissance influence, which was to reach its height during the time of Elizabeth, made good headway.. Sgraffito is first found to have been used in England at this time. In the king’s palace at Hampton Court, as well as in other buildings of that period, its use was successful, technically and artistically.
The modern use -of sgraffito in England has also been very interesting, and satisfactory from the standpoint of permanence. The dampness of the climate and the other factors which make for the deterioration of the mineral wall have left it unscathed.
In this country, however, this type of plastic art has not met with much favor until comparatively recently. It has been condemned because of adverse atmospheric conditions, although the real cause of the failures is ignorance of the subject and lack of experience on the part of the artists who have attempted its use.
The original worker in sgraffito had the advantage of centuries of tradition and years of training in the use of technical processes, now all but lost. The typical American idea, pf time and its value has probably reacted more strongly against its successful use in this , country than any other one thing. Instead of realizing that, in order to achieve satisfactory results in taking up a new and hitherto comparatively unknown field, a large amount of investigation and experimentation is necessary, the modern worker in sgraffito has, as a. rule, plunged in boldly, using the first pigments that came to hand, going about the work in a hazardous fashion, without any conception of the true nature of the art.
The fact that sgraffito is an art must be borne in mind, if one is to make a success of it. It requires much more mastery of drawing than many branches of the fine arts, for two reasons: First, because of the limitations in form and color prescribed by this type of decoration, which bring the actual drawing into unusual prominence.; and secondly, because, by reason of the nature of the materials used, a high degree of accuracy and rapid workmanship are essential. Then, too, sgraffito demands of the decorator an intimate knowledge of the nature and behavior of the materials used, of the chemistry of
VERONA, ITALY
It is in these houses of central Italy, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, that sgraffito attained its greatest perfection. The cartoons for the decorations were furnished by artists of distinction, while other craftsmen who helped to execute the work were also artists of ability.
The influence of the Renaissance began to be felt in England during the reign of Henry VII. The Wars of the Roses were practically at an end. and with the consequent time and leisure available the possibilities for intellectual culture were vastly increased. The new learning crossed the channel and gained a firm foothold on British soil.
In the reign of Henry VIII Italian influence became even stronger, in spite of the monarch’s constant quarrels with the Church of Rome. The
cultural expression, fostered by Renaissance influence, which was to reach its height during the time of Elizabeth, made good headway.. Sgraffito is first found to have been used in England at this time. In the king’s palace at Hampton Court, as well as in other buildings of that period, its use was successful, technically and artistically.
The modern use -of sgraffito in England has also been very interesting, and satisfactory from the standpoint of permanence. The dampness of the climate and the other factors which make for the deterioration of the mineral wall have left it unscathed.
In this country, however, this type of plastic art has not met with much favor until comparatively recently. It has been condemned because of adverse atmospheric conditions, although the real cause of the failures is ignorance of the subject and lack of experience on the part of the artists who have attempted its use.
The original worker in sgraffito had the advantage of centuries of tradition and years of training in the use of technical processes, now all but lost. The typical American idea, pf time and its value has probably reacted more strongly against its successful use in this , country than any other one thing. Instead of realizing that, in order to achieve satisfactory results in taking up a new and hitherto comparatively unknown field, a large amount of investigation and experimentation is necessary, the modern worker in sgraffito has, as a. rule, plunged in boldly, using the first pigments that came to hand, going about the work in a hazardous fashion, without any conception of the true nature of the art.
The fact that sgraffito is an art must be borne in mind, if one is to make a success of it. It requires much more mastery of drawing than many branches of the fine arts, for two reasons: First, because of the limitations in form and color prescribed by this type of decoration, which bring the actual drawing into unusual prominence.; and secondly, because, by reason of the nature of the materials used, a high degree of accuracy and rapid workmanship are essential. Then, too, sgraffito demands of the decorator an intimate knowledge of the nature and behavior of the materials used, of the chemistry of
VERONA, ITALY