The allure of gold has captivated humanity for millennia, and its application in art and decor through gilding brings a touch of luxury, light, and timeless elegance to any object or space. Gilding, the art of applying thin layers of gold leaf to a surface, transforms ordinary items into extraordinary pieces. While it might seem like a complex, almost alchemical process reserved for master artisans, understanding the fundamental techniques can open up a world of creative possibilities for enhancing furniture, frames, sculptures, and architectural details.
Understanding Gold Leaf
Before diving into the methods, it’s essential to know the material itself. Genuine gold leaf is real gold hammered into incredibly thin sheets, often mere millionths of an inch thick. It’s available in various karats, typically ranging from 12k (about 50% gold) to 24k (pure gold). Higher karats offer a richer yellow hue and greater resistance to tarnishing, with 22k and 23k being popular choices for durability and color. Gold leaf comes in two main forms:
- Loose Leaf: Extremely delicate sheets that sit loosely between pages of rouged paper booklets. Handling requires specialized tools like a gilder’s tip and cushion, demanding skill and a draft-free environment. It’s preferred for water gilding and intricate surfaces.
- Transfer Leaf (Patent Leaf): Identical to loose leaf but lightly pressed onto a sheet of wax or tissue paper. This makes it easier to handle, cut, and apply, especially for flatter surfaces or beginners. It’s commonly used in oil gilding.
An alternative is imitation leaf, also known as composition leaf, Dutch metal, or Schlagmetal. Made from alloys of copper, zinc, and sometimes tin, it mimics the appearance of gold at a fraction of the cost. While visually similar initially, it lacks the permanence and non-tarnishing quality of genuine gold and absolutely requires sealing to prevent oxidation.
Core Gilding Techniques
Two primary methods dominate the world of gilding: water gilding and oil gilding. Each has its distinct process, characteristics, and ideal applications.
Water Gilding: The Traditional Craft
This is the oldest and most complex method, prized for its ability to achieve a brilliant, deep shine after burnishing. It’s traditionally used on absorbent surfaces like wood (especially picture frames) or prepared plaster. The process is intricate and moisture-sensitive.
Preparation is paramount: The surface must first be meticulously prepared, often involving the application of multiple layers of traditional gesso (a mixture of animal glue, typically rabbit skin glue, and whiting like chalk or gypsum). Each layer is sanded smooth, building up a flawless foundation.
Applying the Bole: Over the smooth gesso, several thin layers of bole are applied. Bole is a fine clay, usually reddish or yellow, mixed with the same animal glue binder. The color of the bole subtly influences the final tone of the gold, adding warmth and depth, especially if the leaf is slightly distressed or wears over time. Each layer must dry completely.
Laying the Leaf: This is where the ‘water’ comes in. The gilder applies a specific activating liquid, called ‘gilder’s liquor’ (typically water with a tiny amount of glue or alcohol), to a small section of the bole. This reactivates the glue in the bole, making it tacky. Loose gold leaf is quickly picked up with a gilder’s tip (a wide, thin brush of squirrel or badger hair) and laid onto the activated bole. The water tension pulls the leaf down flat.
Burnishing: After the water has evaporated and the leaf has adhered (a critical drying window), the gold can be burnished. Using a highly polished agate stone tool, the gilder rubs the gold leaf firmly but carefully. This compresses and polishes the gold against the smooth bole and gesso underneath, creating the signature mirror-like shine unique to water gilding. Not all areas are typically burnished; selective burnishing creates contrast between matte and high-gloss areas.
Verified Fact: Water gilding allows for burnishing directly on the gold leaf because the leaf adheres directly to the reactivated bole surface. This direct contact with the smooth underlying layers enables the high polish unattainable with oil gilding methods. The process demands precision and careful timing.
Water gilding requires significant practice and patience. Its sensitivity to humidity makes it challenging, but the results are unparalleled for high-quality decorative arts.
Oil Gilding: Versatility and Durability
Oil gilding is a more modern, versatile, and generally easier technique, suitable for a wider range of surfaces including wood, metal, glass, plastic, and previously painted objects. It uses an oil-based adhesive called ‘size’.
Surface Preparation: Like water gilding, a smooth, non-porous surface is key. Surfaces should be cleaned, sanded if necessary, and sealed or primed. A base coat of color (often red, ochre, or black, known as ‘bole colour’ paint even though it’s not true bole) can enhance the final look, similar to how bole functions in water gilding.
Applying the Size: A thin, even layer of oil size is brushed onto the area intended for gilding. Different sizes have varying ‘open times’ – the period during which they remain tacky enough for the leaf to adhere. Quick-drying sizes might be ready in 1-3 hours, while slower ones can take 12 hours or more to reach the correct tack. Experience helps in judging this critical stage.
Testing for Tack: The size must be allowed to dry until it reaches the perfect level of tackiness – it should feel slightly sticky, almost like the back of masking tape, but should not transfer to your knuckle when lightly touched. If it’s too wet, the gold will look dull; if it’s too dry, the leaf won’t stick.
Laying the Leaf: Transfer leaf is often preferred for oil gilding due to its ease of handling. The leaf, still attached to its backing paper, is laid over the tacky size and gently rubbed through the paper. The leaf adheres to the size, and the backing paper is carefully peeled away. Loose leaf can also be used, laid carefully onto the size with a gilder’s tip or dropped from the booklet.
Finishing Touches: Once the entire surface is covered, any overlaps or loose bits (skewings) can be gently brushed away with a soft mop brush after the size is fully dry (typically 24 hours). Small missed spots, called ‘holidays’, can be touched up by applying a tiny amount of size and adding small pieces of leaf.
Sealing: Oil-gilded surfaces, especially those using imitation leaf, generally require sealing. A clear varnish or shellac protects the leaf from abrasion and prevents imitation leaf from tarnishing. Even genuine gold leaf applied with the oil method benefits from sealing in high-traffic areas, though it can slightly diminish the metallic lustre compared to unsealed or water-gilded leaf.
Essential Tools and Considerations
Regardless of the technique, some basic tools are necessary for achieving good results:
- Gilder’s Cushion: A padded leather pad for holding and cutting loose leaf.
- Gilder’s Knife: A specialized long, straight blade for cutting leaf on the cushion.
- Gilder’s Tip: A wide, flat brush for picking up loose leaf (charge it by brushing against your hair/cheek).
- Soft Brushes: Various sizes for applying size, dusting skewings (gilder’s mop), and applying sealant.
- Agate Burnishers: Various shapes for water gilding.
- Adhesives: Oil size or rabbit skin glue/gesso/bole for water gilding.
- Sealant: Appropriate varnish or shellac.
Important Note: Always work in a clean, draft-free environment, especially when using loose leaf. Dust and air currents are the enemies of a smooth finish. When using oil sizes and solvent-based sealants, ensure good ventilation as fumes can be strong and potentially harmful. Patience is not just a virtue but a necessity in gilding; rushing leads to mistakes.
Bringing Gold into Your Decor
Gilding offers endless ways to elevate interior design. Consider applying gold leaf to:
- Picture Frames: A classic application, enhancing artwork with traditional or modern gilded finishes.
- Furniture Details: Highlighting carvings, mouldings, or even entire surfaces on tables, chairs, or cabinets.
- Decorative Objects: Transforming vases, boxes, lamp bases, or sculptures.
- Architectural Elements: Adding accents to mouldings, ceiling medallions, or columns.
- Wall Finishes: Creating feature walls or subtle patterns with gilded elements.
Whether you choose the ancient brilliance of water gilding or the adaptable convenience of oil gilding, mastering these techniques allows you to infuse your art and decor projects with the unique radiance and sophistication that only gold leaf can provide. It’s a journey of patience and precision, but the stunning results are well worth the effort.
