GENERAL INFORMATION

 

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Gilding-Introduction

Gilding is a decorative art process of applying a very thin sheet of gold or other metal leaf on to a surface. Using various techniques the appearance can then be enhanced or altered, before sealing. The final result can be a lustrous finish, matte, or a combination which draws the viewer’s eye to the decorative element.

Generally gilding means the use of gold leaf, however the term also applies to other leaf metals like palladium, silver, brass, copper, and aluminium. The term Dutch metal is a form of brass leaf that looks like gold leaf, but is much less expensive. There is a colour difference but this can be altered with a variety of finishes.

Gilding can be found on many types of decorative object – from Egyptian antiquities, but particularly on 18th and 19th century furniture, picture frames, sculptures, and ceramics, for example. Another aspect of gilding is that it does influence the impression of value and importance. That aspect carries over to architectural and exterior gilding. This can be seen throughout Europe in the form of gilded domes of government buildings and churches, fountains, and other prominent landmarks.

Gold Leaf Meaning & Symbolism

Through known history gold leaf has often been used to indicate a high social status of the nobility and the wealthy. Its characteristic of not tarnishing, scarcity and lustre, has been an indication of magnificence as it has been used across many different period styles and decorative objects.
Historically gold leaf has also been used in religious art and architecture.

A Short History

Gilding is an age-old technique that remains significant to this day in decoration and conservation. Researchers have concluded that the original source of the process was in Turkey more than 8,000 years ago. It was commonly used throughout the dynasties of ancient Egyptians, the Phoenicians, China (as early as 220-280 AD), and eventually the early Europeans.

In more recent centuries, gilding was common in the Classic, Baroque, Rococo, Palladian, and Gothic architecture styles that were adopted for furniture, interior and exterior decoration, and decorative objects.

Gilding was used to highlight details on interior and exterior ornamental features, and gilding is often found at column capitals, ceiling mouldings etc, to emphasise the ornamentation and draw the eye to the stateliness of the room or object.

Coming forward to today, gold leaf is not the only leafing type used. Objects can be gilded in various metal leaf such as aluminium, palladium, brass, copper, silver, or a combination of metals to meet the requirements of cost and visual outcomes. The chosen metal leaf considers the design style of new work, whilst for conservation, the original intention and design is maintained. In recent times a gilding foil has been developed in many different colours, other than the traditional metal leaf. Modern gilding looks can include blue, red, purple, green pink, and so on.

The Gilding Process

The following section is intended as an overview, and not a detailed description to meet every circumstance since that would take more space than what is practical.

Varying techniques are used to apply gold or other gilding leaf; however, the procedure remains generally similar.

Irrespective of what is to be gilded the surface must be clean. The work piece may be a plaster ornament, plaster or wood moulding, or a metal or glass object. In many respects, this is the most important stage. Gilding is all about surface preparation! If the object has a flawless surface, then the finished gilded work will be flawless. If the surface preparation stage is rushed, then gilding will show every imperfection in the surface. This stage takes the most time.

Some pieces, for example a wooden picture frame receives a number of coats of gesso. Traditionally gesso is mix of an animal glue binder (usually rabbit-skin glue), chalk, and white pigment of chalk or gypsum in powder form. A coloured bole (clay based and usually red, but may be other colours) is applied over the gesso. The prepared surface is then coated with “size,” a clear or tinted liquid/medium that dries to a slightly tacky finish.

The technique for transferring the metal leaf to the surface varies, however each leaf in turn is floated delicately against the size. The size acts as a glue, adhering the metal leaf to the surface.

After a curing period the next step is to brush away the excess bits of gilding leaf along the edges that were not intended to be adhered. Those leaf pieces may be reused for touch up or other purposes. Next a soft cloth is used to wipe over the metal to ensure good adhesion, and to apply a light burnishing. Further burnishing may be carried out to “polish” certain elements using an agate stone burnishing tool.

FURNITURE

Although furniture was certainly gilded throughout the Egyptian dynasties and the Roman era, the art virtually died out during the middle ages in the northern hemisphere.

From the beginning of the Renaissance in the early 15th century in Italy, many changes in furniture forms were developed and diectibuted throughout Europe. The growth of a wealthy and powerful upper class generated the building of grand houses and it followed there was a demand to furnish these appropriately. Italian Renaissance furniture was influenced by architectural styles, rather than the intended purpose and that was therefore subordinate. The art of gilding furniture enjoyed a strong revival, and the process of gilding the whole, or certain elements for wooden furnituture, was that for interior gilding, and more specifically that for wooden picture frames.

Fortunately gilded furniture, just as gilded picture frames, can be conserved or fully restored. Anyone contemplating this should be prepared for a detailed and lengthy task to be undertaken by a skilled gilder.

GILDED GLASS and CRYSTAL

Glass Gilding

The term Glass Gilding refers to gold leaf laid to the glass surface over an adhesive. There are different adhesives available, and each will produce a varying appearance of the gold and degree of lustre. The adhesives are gelatine, oil-size, water based goldsize. Glass gilding has many applications and techniques. The following short description is relevant to the gilding of cut crystal (lead oxide added at manufacture) and mould pressed glass (non-leaded) objects, and only water based goldsize.

Highlands Gold Gilding periodically conducts glass gilding workshops. JayCee Artistry (To be linked) has gilded glass objects for purchase.

Adhesives and Leaf

Water based goldsize is a suitable adhesive for matte reverse glass gilding. The goldsize needs to be diluted with distilled water at about 25 percent ratio. A foam roller or a brush is used, and the size is only applied to those surfaces to be gilded. The application can be done vertically or horizontally.

Check the manufactures published drying time before applying the gilding leaf. Both loose and transfer gold/silver leaves are suitable for this work, and metallised leaf in various colours can also be used. The finished surface can then be briefly brushed over and polished with a squirrel hair gilder’s mop. Because the surface of water based goldsize remains rather soft, care should be taken to brush briefly.

Cotton wool or lambswool may also be used for polishing, however only use 100% pure fibres because synthetics can scratch the gold or silver leaf.

The gilded side of the work needs protecting using a suitable clear finish, be it gloss, satin or matt. Highlands Gold Gilding uses a food and child safe acrylic gloss varnish. Whilst sealed and protected, these items must not be soaked in water, washed in a dishwasher or used as a cooking vessel in ovens or microwaves. Hand washing in warm soapy water and patting dry with a soft microfiber cloth will keep your item looking fabulous for many, many years.

 

FRAMES

Gilding is the term for the process of applying metal leaf to an object using a special glue called size. The metal leaf can be made from gold, silver, palladium, aluminium, copper, brass or a metal alloy, and can be applied to any surface, such as wood, metal, plaster, glass, paper or many other objects.

The art of gilding frames dates back to ancient Egypt, where one of the earliest physical frames found dates back to AD 50-70; the wooden frame and the portrait within was found in an Egyptian tomb and was almost perfectly preserved.

The Greeks and Romans also used gold to embellish their art and architecture. However, it was during the Renaissance period that picture frame gilding became popular in Europe. The twelfth and thirteenth centuries brought about the hand-carved, wooden frames that we recognize today.

Different European regions used different coloured bole and different colour combinations, and frames can be aged and origin based on the colour of bole and the gilding techniques used, as well as identifyi8ng the various design elements from different time periods.

SCULPTURES AND OTHER GILDING

There are many different types of gilding techniques, depending on what type of visual result you are after, as well depending on whether the sculpture will be inside or outside. Sgraffito involves applying a paint coat and then scratching through that paint to reveal the gold, silver or copper underneath. Pastiglia refers to creating an etched or raised gesso base and then gilding over the top of that decorative base. Docrative effects can even be acheived in how the size is applied!

 

RESIN ART

Resin art is all about visualisation, awareness of non-complentary and contrasting colour combinations, and a willingess to experiment. At Highlands Gold Gilding those factors are used to produce custom resin pen blanks for JayCee Artistry that contain gold leaf, as well as all the other metal and foil leafing products. Gold and other metal powders are also used to create stunning effects. These may be viewed as completed pens on JayCee Artistry's website.

 

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