Maison Ciamberlani: The Triumph of Sgraffito

Why is it significant?

Stop before the monumental facade of Maison Ciamberlani at number forty-eight Rue Defacqz and look up at its two colossal semicircular second-floor windows.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Stop before the monumental facade of Maison Ciamberlani at number forty-eight Rue Defacqz and look up at its two colossal semicircular second-floor windows. Designed in eighteen ninety-seven by architect Paul Hankar for symbolist painter Albert Ciamberlani, this house presents a strikingly different expression of Art Nouveau, favoring geometric rigor, Japanese woodcraft influences, and colossal decorative frescoes. The vibrant terracotta and warm ochre tones of the upper facade stand in vivid contrast to the restrained grey stone of neighboring townhouses, commanding the attention of every passerby on Rue Defacqz.

While Victor Horta was famous for his undulating, plant-like iron curves, Paul Hankar pioneered a structural, rectilinear branch of Art Nouveau that drew inspiration from traditional Japanese joinery and regional Flemish brickwork. Hankar believed urban facades should serve as public picture galleries for every pedestrian strolling the street. Hankar worked in close artistic collaboration with his friend and neighbor, the symbolist painter Albert Ciamberlani, aiming to abolish the artificial boundary separating fine art from decorative architecture.

Gaze at the upper facade, completely blanketed in radiant golden sgraffito murals designed by Albert Ciamberlani and executed by master craftsman Adolphe Crespin. Sgraffito is an ancient fresco technique where layers of colored plaster are scratched away while wet to reveal underlying contrasting tones, here depicting allegorical scenes of the Labors of Hercules and the Stages of Human Life.

The two massive circular upper windows measure several meters across and were engineered to flood Ciamberlani's top-floor painting studio with abundant, shadowless northern daylight. From the street below, the delicate wrought-iron balconies and overhanging wooden eaves give the facade the appearance of a celestial Renaissance temple. Next door at number seventy-one stands Paul Hankar's own residence, completed in eighteen ninety-three, where the architect famously incorporated wrought-iron brackets inspired by gothic timber framing and iron bridge construction.

Follow Rue Defacqz westward, cross Chaussée de Charleroi, and walk down Rue de la Victoire toward the bustling commercial junction of Place Stéphanie.