Gold Leaf
Gold leaf is pure gold beaten into an extremely thin sheet, the material of the haloes and grounds of the icon. The range covers genuine gold in a range of karats, as loose leaf for water gilding and transfer leaf for oil gilding, along with imitation leaf for decoration and practice.
The gold of the icon begins as leaf. The metal is beaten to a few millionths of a metre, and in this form it is laid on the haloes, grounds, and borders of the icon, as on the surfaces of a church. Karat sets the colour and the permanence: genuine gold of 22 to 24 karat gives the deep, warm tone of the Byzantine tradition and stays unchanged for centuries, while lower karats open the tone.
The category includes:
- Loose genuine gold leaf for water gilding. Lifted with the gilder’s tip, laid over the bole, and burnished with the agate to a mirror.
- Transfer genuine gold leaf on a tissue backing, for oil gilding. Pressed directly onto the mixtion, suited to large surfaces and first steps.
- Imitation gold leaf, a copper alloy in a larger sheet, for frames, decoration, and practice. Sealed with varnish to keep its lustre.
- Books of 25 leaves, at 8 × 8 cm for genuine gold, the classic unit of purchase.
Art & Colour carries gold leaf genuine and imitation, loose and transfer, beside the bole, gilding sizes, and agates of the workshop.