By Charles Douglas
old leaf gilding has worked its way through the ages as a form of decorative embellishment and spiritual symbolism, from its earliest sacred expression in worship of the sun god Ra to the adornment of palaces and temples; from Byzantine icons and thirteenth-century Italian gilded tempera paintings to the works of Austrian Symbolist Gustav Klimt and the contemporary painted works of a growing number of fine artists. Gilding is most commonly thought of as using genuine gold leaf involving various karats of both gold and white gold. However, gilding also includes the use of genuine silver, platinum, palladium, brass, aluminum, copper, and a variety of metal combinations to form specialty leafs such as Moon Gold, Red Gold, Caplain, and others. Gilding has been the predominant form of adornment of frames, from the earliest tabernacles to today’s extensive offerings. But there is also another element that is selectively used in the presentation of works of art: the gilded bevel. Created by forming a 45-degree beveled cut along the sight edge of various ply matboards, the beveled area may be gilded, providing an additional segue between frame and art while enhancing the beauty in the presentation of
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the artwork. There are several different approaches to gilding that use an array of glues or adhesives, including rabbit skin glue, oil size, acrylic emulsion, gum ammoni-
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ac, gum arabic, egg white, garlic, among others. The
Gilded bevels are a great addition to many types of frame designs. Photos by Doug Manelski. Bevels, frame, and artwork courtesy of Artech Fine Art Framing, Seattle, WA.
two methods that are appropriate for gilding bevels are water gilding and mordant (oil) gilding. As a gilder for the past 35 years, I have had the opportunity to explore and provide a variety of approaches to gilding bevels, the most exquisite of 32 PFM July 2019
which is water gilding. Gilders may burnish the leaf on a bevel to a high luster for a bold statement or lightly rub the leaf to delicately reveal the underlying clay bole.
