Carlton Hobbs 9556

October 15 2009, 5:25pm

Term of the Day: Gilding 10/15/09

Detail of one of a pair of gilt-composition mirrors with nautical decoration.

The present mirror dates from around 1750: its frame was molded with nautical-themed rococo decoration, and then applied with two-tone gilding, which remains intact today. Gilding is the technique of applying a thin layer of gold, or, in the case of silver-gilding, silver, to a surface of a different material. Gilding has been practiced in many cultures since ancient times, and some of the ancient practices have remained virtually unchanged throughout the ages. The ancient Egyptians’ use of gold-leaf—gold pounded into a paper-thin sheet—which was applied to a surface of wet plaster in the tombs of the Pharaohs, is very similar to the use of gold-leaf in the gilded furniture produced in Europe and England since the Middle Ages. One of the most enduring uses of gold-leaf furniture in Europe was in gilded wood, or giltwood: the furniture was typically carved, and the gold-leaf applied with a water-based or oil-based preparation to a surface of gesso on the wood. Giltwood furniture became more common in England in the late 17th century, and the use of gilt-gesso arose: small objects and some relief decoration on wooden furniture were made using gesso, which was easier to model than wood.

Gilding was also done to metal: until the 19th century, the best way of producing the luxury material gilt-bronze, called bronze doré in France, was through the ormolu method, which was the same process used by the ancient Romans for gilding metal: it involved coating the metal surface with an amalgam of gold and mercury, and burning off the excess mercury in a kiln. This produced fumes that were extremely dangerous to the health of the gilder, and in the 19th century ormolu was replaced by electroplating, a safe method which allowed furniture designers to continue to make decorative objects and furniture mounts in gilt-bronze, gilt-brass, and other copper alloys.

To see more of this mirror, visit: http://www.carltonhobbs.com/viewDetail.asp?strReference=9556