Gilded glass

Culture & Context

Gilding is often dated back to the ancient Egyptians where gold was used to adorn wood and metal on tomb goods. It was in Roman times when glass gilding appeared and later in the 18th and 19th centuries it was a popular technique for glass mirrors in Europe. 

I often use gold in my work as a cultural signifier of value. My work deals with forms of knowledge that have been lost or are undervalued, adding the gold is a way to increase the value of the artefacts and thus imply the value of the subject matter.

Process & Production

The glass must be free of dirt and dust before starting the gilding process. Cleaning with whiting helps the water gelatine mix (or size) to sit on the surface of the glass. Making the size involves dissolving gelatine in warm water. This is then ‘floated’ over the surface of the glass. A thin leaf of gold is cut to size and using a fine wide brush it is laid over the area to be gilded. This process is continued until the full area is covered. The glass is left overnight to allow the water to evaporate and the gold to adhere to the surface. It can then be buffed and treated with a sealer if required.

Recipe Details

Gold leaf

Gelatine

Water

Whiting