A Brief History of Gilding

The simplest form of gilding was in existence 5000 years ago in Egypt, where objects were wrapped with a thin sheet of gold. A millennium later, Egyptians had developed gold beating to a fine art.  The gold was beaten into extremely thin leaves and applied over wooden furniture and mummy cases that had been treated with a plaster-like material, often calcium carbonate mixed with animal hide glue, to make them appear as solid gold.  Tomb paintings depict gold beaters and gilders using the exact same techniques and materials used today.

Egyptians used gilding to infuse the deceased with the qualities of permanence and the beauty of gold.  The skin of the gods was described with the Egyptian word for gold.  Gold was a stable element and extremely impervious to corrosion, so it became ritually associated with immortality.  Embalming and mummification were devoted to maintaining the appearance of the body for eternity.  Coffins and mummy masks had gilded faces and hands.

For those who could not afford the gilding, the portions were painted yellow instead. The Egyptians believed that gold properly placed directly on a mummy's skin guaranteed one's ability to speak, eat and move in the afterlife.  Gold was therefore often placed on the mouth, throat and joints of mummies.  Thin gold tongue plated were placed in the mouths of the deceased to ensure the ability to speak with the gods.

The ancient Greeks and Romans adopted some of the Egyptian beliefs and placed gold leaf on their mummies' fingers, toes, faces and sexual organs.

In 7th and 8th century Japan, gilding was mainly used on Buddhist statuary, paintings and altarpieces.  Gold's permanence made it a suitable symbol of the eternal nature of the Buddha.

Gilding first appears in Europe in the 11th century, again mostly in religious contexts: Christian sculpture, statuary, processional crosses and reliquaries.  France, Germany, Belgium and Italy have numerous examples of gilded statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, more gilding appears in Europe in sacred settings.  Italy has many examples of religious panel paintings.  Monks began to use raised-gilding in illuminated manuscripts at this time.

In the 14th through 16th centuries, polychrome and gilding techniques were perfected and many altar pieces still exists from this time, as do paintings of saints with gilded nimbi.

By the late 17th century, the use of gilding had spread form statues to altars and then to architectural decoration in churches and monasteries.

By the 18th century its use spread to the secular world.  The aristocracy and royal patrons wanted the elaborately painted and gilded interiors and furniture that had previously only been found in sacred venues.

Gilding then became a highly refined decorative art form in the Baroque, Rococo and Neo-Classical styles.  It particularly flourished in France at this time due to the guild system. Guilds sought to ensure the highest quality of craftsmanship. (See The Gilders Art in Eighteenth Century France by Brian B. Considine for a full explanation of the guild system in France at this time.)  Louis XIV wanted France to dominate Europe in the arts, so he brought in all the finest craftsmen from Holland, England, Italy and elsewhere.

The time of Louis XIV's reign just before the French Revolution was the culmination of the gilder's art.  The most refined and elaborate gilding with the finest carvings date from this period. In the late 18th to early 19th centuries, fine gilding was being produced by craftsmen all over Europe and America.

With the advent of the Industrial Age in the late 19th and early 20th centuries came machine- and mass-produced frames, molding and furniture. As taste in interiors changed, there was less demand for gilded furniture and objects. Fewer gilders were being employed.

Yet now in the 21st century, there is again an appreciation for hand-crafted work. Therefore, there are gilders busy restoring and conserving antiques and ancient gilded objects, as well as artists creating new works of art using gilding techniques.  The appeal of the gilded surface is as durable as gold itself.