Water Gilding

Water gilding is the most complex and noblest form of gilding, it is not as robust as oil gilding and must be treated with care.

Gold is applied to a specially prepared surface of <<gesso>> a mixture of rabbit skin glue and whiting. It is very important that these priming coats are carefully smoothed and sanded and the detail within the sculpted sections re-cut (reparure).

Several coats of bole are applied before gilding, the water then applied to this surface allows the gold to become part of the support and gives it’s name to the process.

Laying the leaves is the final and most satisfying part of the process before burnishing with an agate stone to obtain a beautiful polished gilded surface.