A water gilded console and mirror frame by Florenceart Studio

This article is addressed to interior designers or decorators who ask the question, ‘What is water gilding and why should I pay for, or propose that the client pays for this more expensive option compared to other types of gilding?’

The reason to pay more is for the quality, certainly, as it is in most cases when we might agree to extra expense. But this extra quality may not always be necessary. Water gilding is necessary in the restoration of antiques, and can be used to great effect in contemporary decor. In this article I hope to explain how water gilding differs from other gilded finishes and help decorators and designers to make a more informed choice when they choose between them.

Water gilding in a modern context is suitable for high quality, carved or smooth  wooden objects that you wish to gild. Carved picture frames and chair frames, furniture,  and wooden sculpture are good examples. The gilding, if done well, will last centuries, will not tarnish,  will  glow with the inimitable lustre of real burnished gold, and will have an inherent value. Water gilding is generally not suitable for quick gilding jobs, a lot of architectural gilding, and outdoor gilding.

Water  gilding refers to the process of attaching extremely thin leaves of gold to a prepared surface.  It is called water gilding because the surface is wet when the leaf is attached. In reality the gilder is wetting a carefully  prepared  surface to revive its adhesive qualities and to create a situation where the fine leaf of gold is captured by the surface tension of the water, spread and pulled down to adhere to the surface as the water absorbs into it.

This process is laborious because  it  involves  patient, skilled handling of the gold, which is so thin that it can be blown away with a breath. It also requires a careful preparation of the surface to be gilded, and a good  understanding of the materials and processes involved. Although water gilding can be done with ‘false’ gold, (economical metal leaf made with brass and other metals), historically it was always  done  with  real  gold or silver leaf.

Antique French gilded mirror frame early 19th century. This rame is in the Florenceart studio for restoration at present. The original gilding is a combination of water and mordant techniques.

Water gilding in Italy was practiced and developed in the 13th, 14th and 15th century  as a means of decorating wooden objects such as altar panels, mostly for the churches. Although we now see these antique objects in a very tattered state, with the  gold leaf worn back to show the overlaps between the leaves and the red ground beneath, that is not how they were originally intended. As the author  Daniel V. Thompson puts it his book  ‘The Materials and Techniques of Medieval Painting’, we must imagine that we are  seeing them as Christmas trees in August, past their prime. We have developed a taste and a love for the look of worn leaf, so much so that many attempts are made to copy this look.

It is important when considering water gilding that we consider the object to be decorated as a whole. The intent of the renaissance craftsmen was to make something precious, often an object of devotion. This way of making the surface seem like a solid sheet of gold was designed for wooden objects, wood being the primary material available to them for this purpose. Water gilding today is practiced in much the same way as it was in the renaissance.

The Process:
The wood is coated with a mixture of  animal  glue and chalk called gesso. This mixture, applied as a warm liquid, binds to the surface, fills the pores yet does not seal the surface and therefore allows to a certain extent for the natural expansion and contraction of the wood, according to humidity levels. The gesso can be sanded to a very smooth surface when dry. Bole is then applied to the smooth gesso. Bole is fine clay, commonly yellow ochre or a deep reddish tone, which is mixed with a glue binder. Both the gesso and the bole have the quality that they can be burnished, that is, when they are flattened with pressure applied from a burnishing tool they compress and shine. After the gold leaf is water gilded to the prepared surface, it is allowed to dry and then it is burnished with an agate stone-burnishing tool. It is from the compression of the under lying layers that true water gilding takes its shine.

The water gilders tools: a cushion and knife for cutting the gold and gilders tip for picking up the leaf and a burnished gold carved frame.

The decorative technique of 'graffitto' shown on a water-gilded panel and a student’s work of a gilded frame with faux malachite decoration.

Other methods of gilding have been developed  in more recent times. The most common method of attaching gold leaf to a surface today is with the use of gold size. Gold size is glue that is applied to the surface to be gilded and left until it reaches ‘tack’. When the right tack is reached the leaf can be applied. Depending on the type of gold size used the time to reach tack can vary from 5 minutes to 12 hours. The longer tack times are generally the property of oil sizes and they are preferred for their self-leveling qualities that produce a very smooth gilded surface. They must of course be used in dust free environments to avoid dust settling on the sticky surface during the long setting time. Gold applied with size cannot be burnished and this is perhaps the most important aesthetic difference between water gilding and ‘mordant’ or size gilding.

The skilled gilder can combine methods of mordant and water gilding and advise on which would be best for each particular project. Here are some common undesirable problems that can crop up of when dealing with gilded surfaces and the errors that may have caused them:
Scratches, crevices and brushstrokes can be seen in the shiny surface of the gilded surface
A rough surface under the leaf will show in the finish so special attention must be paid to the preparation of the base
Crinkly or patchy looking gold leaf
This is usually a problem with mordant gilding rather than water gilding. Sometimes the gilder makes the error of applying size badly or attaching the gold leaf either before the size has reached tack, or waits too long. Metal leaf that turns green or oxidizes with time If false leaf is used this is always a risk. It can be delayed with the application of a protective varnish when the leaf is newly applied. Real gold will not tarnish.
Metal leaf which scratches off easily
With some of the hobby type water based mordants the gilded surface created is not durable, even when varnished, therefore this technique is not suitable for use on furniture.

The time-honored tradition of water gilding is truly a beautiful, high quality, long lasting form of decoration. There is much to know about gilding in general and there are many pitfalls to avoid when making technical choices for your gilding project. I hope that this article may be helpful to those who love the glitter of gold and wish to learn more about gilding.

Contemporary Gilding
For exquisite examples of contemporary gilding visit the web site of Michele A. Caron of the United States. Michele A. Caron is an American and European trained gilder and conservator with 25 years of experience. Her training and technical procedures are firmly established in the European tradition while at the same time maintaining an open mind towards the contemporary and the future.

Limited edition bracelets in gold, silver, copper leaf and mixed enamel mediums, signed, numbered & dated by Michele A. Caron

Contemporary interpretation of a gilded, petite Art Nouveau chair, signed, numbered & dated by Michele A. Caron

Author: Special Feature by Contributing Writer Alison Woolley Florenceart.net
Contributing Credits: Contemporary Gilding Michele A. Caron
Department: PAINT and PLASTER Gild-Shine-Metallic May 2010
Executive Editor: Judy Arnold ID-DIGEST.COM

Often what stands out the most and makes a place special is the human element. I have to say the staff and management of the castle with their relaxed and joyful style gave a whole new meaning to the definition of ‘good hosts’. I am afraid I will always be doomed to compare any future hospitality to the very high standard set here.

What was I doing there, you may ask. I was invited to join with my friends and colleagues Melanie Royals and Gary Lord to help facilitate a decorative painting workshop they wished to organize on site at the castle, and to design and teach along with them. Participants came from all over the United States and, though many were professional decorators, others had little or no experience at all with decorating.

view from the castle over the Umbrian hills

courtyard of the castle

a 'before' shot of the room

The Project:
The castle itself is a historical site and as such it is protected by the laws governing protected properties in Italy. The interiors are beautiful, and some are currently being restored. One large hall on the property , often used for large wedding banquets, had been renovated, but was in need of some ‘character’. The hall was a large stone structure that had been a grain storage barn, known as the ‘Granaio’. It had been restored from a ruin, given new floors, a new roof and white walls. It was practical and functional, but the owners were looking to make it warm and inviting to better serve its function to house so many special occasions.

The room had 9 columns around it and we decided to accent these with some decorative painting. At the request of the owners I made up a pilaster design that incorporated the products of the surrounding farmland and the crests of the noble families involved in the history of the castle. The choice of colours was soft and neutral, meant to play as a background to the celebrations that would take place in the room. Melanie Royals designed all the stencils for the room. I must say, this part was fun and an eye-opener for me. I can’t wait to design some more things and send them over to her to have stencils made. I am so full of ideas about what could be done with the combination of stencils and hand painting, but anyway, back to the current story! The large wall surfaces were given a textural finish with a warm transparent glaze. There were raised stencils of a wheat sheaf at irregular intervals around the room that caught the soft light coming in from the windows. Now for some pictures:

sketch for the columns

detail of the concept for the columns

detail of end result

The wheat sheaf stencil near a window

‘Work Hard Play Hard’:
The whole experience was wonderful. It was a great group, something that you can never predict, but are so thankful to be part of when it just comes together like that. The spirit was great, The amount of work done was surprisingly large, and I renewed my ties of ‘amicizia’ with people I already count as friends and met so many inspiring new comrades. Unforgettable.

Myself and Melanie Royals beside a column

Gary

Thanks to Melanie Royals, Dagmar Alexandersson and Jan Moody for the borrowed photos. For more pictures: http://gallery.me.com/daxstudio#100110 http://designamour.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/designamour/collections/72157618300530436/

Plans were drawn up and the woodworker got to work

We then finished the stand with traditional gesso and pigment paints and gave it an antique ‘patina’

The table left the workshop for Switzerland on Saturday to join the muselaar. Addio!

Carpenter by Bonomini

I paid a quick visit to the organizers of the upcoming Salon exhibition in Bergamo last week. It looks like the Salon gathering, planned for April 15-20 will be really exciting this year. The Palazzo Moroni in Bergamo Alto as well as the cloisters of San Francesco will house most of the exhibition and the events. I enjoyed taking the funicular then walking through this lovely hill town. The streets are lined with boutiques, charming restaurants and small hotels. I did make an unusual discovery, with the guidance of Lucretia Moroni, this years host for Salon. I visited the church of Santa Grata Inter Vites di Borgo Canale where there are a series of ‘fantasie macabres’, by a well known local painter from the second half of the 18th century, Paolo Vincenzo Bonomini. These are a series of paintings, large size and loosely painted in vibrant colours, depicting living skeletons as the subjects in all the scenes. There are various characters depicted, a bride and groom, a soldier, a woodworker and an artist painting a canvas, for example. This last one is apparently a self portrait of Bonomini.

These paintings fit in to the tradition of ‘memento mori‘ depictions in art, reminding us of our mortality, that death is ever present and could join us at any moment of our lives. In fact many historical depictions of death show skeletons meeting characters from all walks of life and dancing them to the grave. (See examples below) Apparently Bonomini’s series of macabre paintings met with great success in his home town and many local residents laughed as they recognized portraits of themselves.

soldier by Bonomini	painter by Bonomini	Noble couple by Bonomini	Peasants by Bonomini
depiction of death	depiction of death	death personification	depiction of death

fully decorated muselaar

I have finally finished this project. It is a decorated muselaar, a similar instrument to a harpsichord. The outside is decorated with a vivacious painted marble, the soundboard is decorated with birds and fruits from the Flemish tradition, and the inside of the lid has a landscape painting depicting the myth of Orpheus and his young wife, Eurydice, taken from him into the underworld after she died from the poison of a viper’s bite.

I will be sorry to see this one leave the workshop. I’ve become quite attached to it.

*Trompe-l’œil: (French: “trick the eye”) is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three-dimensions, instead of actually being a two-dimensional painting.
-From Wikipedia

- Be guided personally through practical hands-on training by an expert teacher. Take advantage of the special opportunity to study with this wonderful teacher in a small group with personal assistance in English.

- About the teacher: Marco Cavallini teaches historical painting techniques at the Institute of Art in Florence and lectures at the University of Florence on the history of architecture and interior decoration. He is well known and respected in Italy for his publications and his teaching. He is regarded as one of the few remaining representatives of the artists workshop tradition started in the Renaissance in Florence.

- Learn easily with carefully organized systems of colour mixing and guidance as to the correct use of suitable tools. The teaching provides a way to ‘fast-track’ past a lot of experimental learning.

- Acquire techniques passed down through generations of highly skilled professional painters
which are time saving and adaptable to various projects.

- Train your eye and be inspired by examining some of the world’s most precious decorative cycles in the company of experts. Organized visits in Florence are included in the program.

- Rest assured that the teaching is founded on generations of knowledge and recognized merit. You can rely on the expertise of Florenceart.net studio, a well established Florentine-based artisan studio specialized in decorative painting, gilding, and restoration, to provide access to expert knowledge, exclusive visits and quality teaching in this field.

July 14 – 18, 2008 (1 week only) Intro Trompe l’Oeil: Monday to Friday 3pm to 7pm including 6 nights accommodation in comfortable hotel in central Florence: Price: 900.00* euros per person

July 21 – 25, 2008 (1 week only) Advanced Trompe l’Oeil: Monday to Friday 3 pm to 7pm including 6 nights accommodation in comfortable hotel in central Florence: Price: 900* euros per person

* Discount of 100 euros for Intro and Advanced courses taken together. Price based on double occupancy. (Contact us to request singles)

All course materials provided.

Few spaces available, contact us today!

For more info call the Florenceart studio in Florence and ask for Alison: + 39 055 733 2865
e-mail: info@florenceart.net

Carlo V. Mori will be posting on my blog while I keep up with work commitments.
When decoration gets labour intensive, writing about it seems like stealing time from the final goal. So I asked Carlo to write for me while I am busy painting. He wants me to show these sketches.

He says:
“Admiring the creative endeavor behind the making of an artifact is a revealing world:
a field of observation capable of leading us to the discovery of artistic motifs.
The history of the evolution of decorative patterns is is deeply related to the artist’s re-interpretation of old formulas.

For example, take this procedure of decorating an harpsichord. As usual, the preliminary drawing is the first step. In this phase, the initial skill of the applied arts craftsman is a good rendering of the figurative elements.
Using a classic approach, these were originated long ago in art history.

The decorative approach here aims to accomplish a really convincing ‘antique’ look and feel. The final objects will appear to be centuries old. Gracefully adjusting the composition to the surface areas requires sense of proportions and familiarity with the ‘old masters school’.

The preliminary sketch of these musical cherubs among flowery scrolls shows a secure definition of shapes. This design will be transferred unto the surfaces of the object, in this case the harpsichord. Although the contour line is very clear, the final application of colors will reproduce the style of painting as observed on ancient pieces of furniture. Together with the slightly fading quality of old distressed paint. This procedure will never stop to impress my eyes. Because its accuracy relies very much on the authenticity of the materials used. The ingredients are just a part of the knowledge involved in the making of this object. The final product will be hardly distinguishable from an exact replica of an historic artifact. Rather then the application of a ‘faux-effect’ on a piece of furniture, this object will portray history through its most subliminal ‘tactile’ qualities.

The style can be traced back to many different centuries. The composition derives from the grotesques ornaments genre. Its interpretation imitates a 19th century approach. During the 1800′s all existing decorative styles from different centuries and civilizations were catalogued, and classified according to their originating cultures in a much more extensive and methodical way compared to how this process had been carried out in previous centuries. The fact that patterns were classified and reproduced in prints, and the consequent vast spreading of pattern books led to a newly increased facility of access to a variety of forms for artists. Moreover, one of the consequences of the ‘cataloguing’ that characterized this era happened to be a rather creative and free approach to interpretation of the patterns.

The ‘rigorous’ standard which became commonly predominant to most 19th century academic art had an influence on the high end decorative arts. This certainly raised the overall quality at all levels of production in a time when the dialogue among arts and industry included, in the last quarter of the century, the use of photography. Obviously, before this radical innovation the diffusion of printed materials had reached a considerable impact and a remarkable quality.”

I am just back from Paris where I spent a week in the studio of the world renowned harpischord maker, Marc Ducornet.

Besides enjoying the atmosphere of Paris, I was painting a soundboard of an instrument called a ‘muselaar’. To quote John W. McCoy’s info on the web:

The Muselaar was a characteristic Dutch variation of the small rectangular or oblong instruments collectively called “The Virginals” in English. Those called “Muselaar” had the keyboard shifted toward the right side of the front of the instrument so that the plucking point was near the middle of all the strings, resulting in a harp-like tone. In fact, the Muselaar is acoustically just a small metal-strung harp laid on its side and boxed in.

The soundboard decorated in the Flemish style is meant to be a feast for the senses:

“[on the soundboard] were painted a crowded garden of stylized flowers, fruits, vegetables, insects, birds, and sometimes food (such as cooked and beheaded crustaceans and peeled lemons), animals and people. All things that could delight the senses in a garden were included, and it is entirely possible that the soundboard was meant to represent an allegory of the five senses – the birds for sound, flowers for sight and smell, food for taste, and the keys themselves, and perhaps the furry caterpillar and other insects, for touch.”

Also resurrection symbolism:“The paired caterpillar and moth, often found on Flemish soundboards, were a commonly understood symbol of death’s liberation of man’s spirit from his body, which had been restricted to crawling the earth in life, but in “death” and rebirth could now soar freely. The goldfinch, often found as a resurrection symbol in vanitas still-life paintings, occurred frequently on soundboards.”

“The Historical Harpsichord” Vol. 4 Harpsichord Decoration by Sheridan Germann.