Water gilding is considered the most complex method of gilding frames or other objects. It is adapted from the method used by the ancient Egyptians, and the style has not changed much since the Renaissance.
It is called Water Gilding because water is mixed with animal glue and clay powder during the various stages of the process, to create the glazes and coats required to prep the frame for the application of the gold leaf.
Gilding Size: mixture of water and animal skin glue, and helps to seal the wood.
Gesso: mixture of water, animal skin glue, and calcium carbonate.
Bole: mixure of water, glue, and a fine clay powder that colors the mixture red, yellow, brown, black, or pink. The color chosen for the frame will affect the warmth of the final product, and the color that shows though if any distressing is done after the gold leaf is laid.
Preparation Layers for Water Gilding:
- Gilding Size (2 layers)
- Gesso (8-10 layers), then sanded
- Bole (6-8 layers), then sanded
- Distilled Water (1 layer when applying leaf)
Once the first three coatings have been applied, the gold leaf can be added. It is cut into appropriate-sized squares and picked up with a special brush called a Gilder's Tip. Just before the gold lead is laid on the surface of the frame, the fourth coating - water - is brushed on the surface. The gold leaf will be draw down onto the wet surface, practically jumping off the tip. It can be gently smoothed out before moving onto the next section.
The entire frame is covered in this way, with each piece of gold foil overlapping the last just slightly. Afterwards, a soft, dry brush called a Gilder's Mop is used to "skew" the gilding, which removes little flakes of gold leaf. These flakes can be used to cover any chips that are visible after skewing, in the same method as the first application, but using a small brush.
Another coat or two of gold leaf may need to be applied to fully cover the frame. Then the entire surface can be burnished using a burnisher. Traditional burnishers were made from a dog's tooth. This shape is still available in the new stone material, along with many other shapes. Burnishing hides the creased created by overlapping, and polishes the frame.
Burnishing is not require, and may be skipped if a textured, "wrinkled" look is desired.
The gilding may also be distressed, which removes some of the gold and makes the bole visible underneath.
To see the Water Gilding process in action, check out this YouTube video.
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