Here at Pendragon, we have an in-house gilder who has been on the team for nearly 30 years .
His level of expertise means no job is too large!
Traditional water gilding is an old craft dating back 4000 years in North Africa.
It takes years to build up a level of expertise enough for the contemporary art market today.
The process is literally multi-layered, starting with a comprehensive sanding. This is the first stage of the preparation of the moulding for the layering up with bol, a liquid kind of clay. Each layer has to be sanded back to create a suitable smooth surface ready for the laying of the gold. The gold comes in books of ‘leaves’ which are then carefully laid on the watered bol surface of the moulding.
After the leaves have dried, then the shine is created with some expert burnishing…as in the image.
Then the beautiful gilded frame is ready to be fitted up and taken to a finish.
Obviously a gilded frame can be made to any size and depth, and if you’re thinking about making the investment, then do call and come in for a chat.
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