noun

• (art, uncountable) A technique in ceramics, art and wall design, where the top layer of pigment or slip is scratched through to reveal an underlying layer.
  "Through color and tone Byzantine potters gave to sgraffito pottery qualities that go beyond the contrasts possible in metalwork. And the history of the colors in their use on Byzantine sgraffito ware again takes us back to Tang China."
• (art, countable) An instance or sample of sgraffito.
  "[I]n the corner room a sitting platform, 3 ft. broad, as well as a large fireplace, were brought to light, while in the hall (E. iii.), open towards the south, the rough plaster surface of the partly well-preserved east wall proved to be covered with sgraffiti both Tibetan and Chinese."

verb

• (art) To produce a design using this technique.
  "Use a ceramic tool or any pointer to sgraffito the lines in the enamel powder."