TECHNIQUE OF LEAF GILDING

The leaf gilding can be realized with other metals such as brass or silver.

The leaves of silver use the same technique than gold leaves but it's necessary to varnish it.

The color of gold leaf depends on the quality of the metal, twenty four carat gold is the best but it's less malleable than the twenty two or fifteen carat.

It exists two main methods :

• oil gilding,
• water gilding.

The oil gilding requires a liquid like linseed oil to glue the leaves.

The water gilding can be only applied on a plaster surface. For glueing the leaf on the surface it's necessary to mix water, egg white and a color like red, blue or yellow for instance, used according to the wanted effect.

Today, even if these techniques last more or less, it exists other methods, related to these one but more simple to apply.

The tools of the gilder didn't change in the course of centuries : polisher, gilded brush to lift the leaves and put it on the surface...