As an ancient art, gilding has survived through time and continued to be relevant today.

Thanks to gold leaf, you can add a pop of detail to any object, which no other type of finish can accomplish. This is probably why the art of gilding survived even after a thousand years. Today, many artists mix a blend of gilding art with the traditional painting technique.

Gilding isn’t just an ordinary endeavour; it takes precision to master the craft, along with an enormous amount of patience and dexterity. There is something awe-inspiring about bathing an object in golden elegance. It is truly fascinating even until today.

In this article, we discussed the history and art of gilding.

The Art of Gilding defined

In layman’s term, the art of gilding is about decorating parts or the entire body of metal, wood, plaster, glass or other objects with a layer of gold. You can gild an object by applying gold leaf to a recently applied thin layer of adhesive on an item’s surface. Gilding also involves the application of silver leaf, aluminium leaf, palladium leaf, or copper leaf.

Where did gilding start?

This ancient gold leaf art started thousands of years ago by the Egyptians. They believed that gold was the colour of the gods, pharaohs, and sarcophagi. In fact, the main decor in the rooms of the pharaohs’ tombs was gold leaf.

While Egyptians were considered as master gilders, the Chinese also have ornamented wood, pottery and textiles beautifully designed in gold. On the other hand, the Greeks also gilded masonry, marble sculpture, wood and also fire-gilded metal.

Meanwhile, the Romans acquired this art from Greeks who used to adorn their palaces and temples with brilliant gilding.

Why is gilding considered an art

The ability to transform an ordinary object into a brilliant work of art, using very thin sheets of gold, requires precision and skill.

The process is very delicate and needs training because one mistake can completely blow the whole gold leaf or silver leaf away—along with the precious dollars you invested in them. Once the object is covered in layers of gold leaf, the finished product becomes stable and resistant to tarnish and deterioration, as long as the base remains stable.

If the surface is unstable, it is much easier to remove the gold by rubbing a slightly moist cloth on the unsealed gilded surface. That is why sealing off your gilded product is recommended, so it won’t deteriorate easily.

What are the two gilding techniques in gold leafing?

The ancient art of gilding has never lost its charm even among modern artists.

While not everything that glitters is gold, you can still achieve the next best thing, thanks to the art of gilding. Currently, there are two kinds of gilding techniques used today: oil gilding and water gilding.

Oil gilding

Oil gilding involves the application of gold leaf to a slow drying linseed oil and turpentine mixture called size. Size formulation and application affect the final appearance—oil-size formulations produce different surface qualities than water-gilding methods. Water-gilded surfaces can be burnished to a mirror-like sheen, while oil-sized gilding typically yields a less burnishable, satin finish. This technique is considered more durable than water gilding; however, it cannot be burnished or shined to a high brilliance.

Water gilding

The water gliding, on the other hand, is very different. The leaf is floated over a thin layer of rabbit hide glue. This glue allows the gold leaf to spread out smoothly because it is so thin.

Genuine gold leaf is produced in a range of karats (commonly 22–24k, with 23k frequently used); gilding metal (alloy) is also used where lower cost or different color is desired. You can sometimes see their difference, especially when you look at a gilded item like a picture frame. The part that looks a bit duller is the oil gilding, while the polished shiny is the water gilded part.

Artists often combine these two techniques to make the object pop.

Can you gild any object?

Traditionally, gold leaf is used on mirror frames, picture frames, art objects, architectural ornaments, art objects and furniture of all shapes and types. With the right technique, you can basically gild anything your heart desires.

Put no limit to your imagination and easily complete your gilding projects for that magnificent glow that is not found in any other type of finish.

Conclusion

There is a reason why the ancient Egyptians believed that gold is the colour of the gods. It’s because of the timeless quality of gold that can make any ordinary object into an instant masterpiece.
With the right technique and gilding supplies, a common household item can look expensive when they are bathed in golden elegance.

Add sparkle to our everyday items, gold leaf crafts, sculpture or frame with the art of gold gilding. Make your art come alive by gilding in either a gold leaf, silver leaf or copper leaf.
When it comes to gilding, the possibilities are endless.

FAQ for ‘The History and Art of Gilding’

There are many questions that people have surrounding the art of gilding. These questions about the history of gold leaf often stem from an understanding of the impact that gold leaf gilding techniques have on our society in the modern day. In this post, we’ll delve into the many ways that people have historically used pure gold. 

Let’s begin!