Sacred Spaces Liturgical Design, Inc.

Gold Leaf & Gilding

Gold Leaf & Gilding

The process of applying gold leaf or “gilding” a surface or object is a very old one, with many examples still extant from the ancient world.  To create gold leaf, gold is beaten into thin sheets, which may then be applied to a surface.  Gilding – the process of applying gold leaf – can take several forms.  Most custom gilding today employs “oil gilding,” a technique in which a “size” (similar to a varnish) creates a tacky surface to which the thin sheets of gold can adhere.  Though our artists and craftsmen are skilled in oil-gilding techniques, they are also skilled in the more traditional and complex techniques of “water gilding,” in which gesso and a rare kind of glue are applied to a surface, gold leaf is then applied with a fine brush, and the final product is burnished with agate.  The water-gilding method, though more complicated and time-intensive than oil-gilding, results in a finished product with the beauty and longevity that characterize ancient examples of gold-leaf decorative arts.

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