We show here the water gilding technique. Using a brush, the gilder lays 22 karats gold leaf upon the red bole. This technique, also called Gouache gilding, appeared for the first time in the Middle Ages, specifically on the gilded surface of the paintings on panels. Since then, it has been used for tabernacle frames and Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, and Empire frames later on.

The gilder, wetting the bole with a brush, reactivates the rabbit glue of the bole. The wet surface is then ready to receive the gold leaf, which will stick to the frame. A day after, when the bole is already dry, the Gouache gilding is completed, and the gilder proceeds with the polishing phase, also known as gold burnishing.

We show here only the phase of laying the gold, which is the most challenging part of the technique, where you need to be focused on the pillow, the knife, and the brush simultaneously without losing control. Notice how, by a complicated play of puffs, the gold leaf is extracted from the small book, cut into size, and spread gently on the wet surface. Water is the key element to realize the whole process because it makes the red bole sticky. If one doesn’t wet the entire surface correctly, the gold leaf won’t get attached, and one will lose the gold.

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