Gilded Conclusion

Today is the day we mount the project we've been working on for the past month. Hopefully, all will go well!

Here's a sneak peak. 

It involved marble dust, a special glue, clay, liquor and lots of gold leaf.

Preparing gesso

Gold leaf is on

Gold leaf is burnished

In a few days, I'll show you the finished product and some of the steps it took to get there.

Golden Saturday

Happy St. Patrick's Day to my forever Irish mother, Mary Slattery! 

I love you, Mom!

My color for this Saturday is not green, however. Today it is a golden Saturday. We are water gilding a six by three foot cross for a church and the gold has been fluttering about if we take an extra breath. I have never held my breath so much in one sitting. The gold has been applied for today's area; we'll be burnishing in a few hours.

Loving these columns with gold accents.

If you're not all-out into gold, check out the subtle wash of gold over the gray plaster on this wall. 

Just enough to give the wall a little pizazz- and it only shows with just the right light.  

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Frame It!

More often than not, I am drawn to the frame on a mirror or painting before I even look at what it is holding. I'll oooh and aaah at the frame, noticing its gilding or painted finish and then proceed to look at the painting. 

I love the art of the frame.

The frame stands there as the painting's support. 

It lends importance and structure to a painting. 

It offers protection as well. 

Frames have mainly been used since the fifteenth century. Most often they are made of wood, often gilded with gold or silver leaf. Painted frames are also common.

Here a frame is in the process of being repaired. Compo ornaments (a pliable substance that includes chalk which has been pressed into a mold) has been added and will be later gilded.

Gilding the frame follows a lengthy process that has changed little since the seventeenth century.  After applying a coat of rabbit skin glue, many layers (usually 4-8) of gesso are applied to create the smooth bed for the gold or silver. Gesso consists of chalk (or marble dust), water and rabbit skin glue. It is warmed before applying and must be layered as the previous application turns "leathery". 

A bin of finely powdered chalk 

After the gesso has dried, several layers of bole (fine grained clay plus RSG) are brushed on. Several colors of clay are available, including red, yellow, black or brown; the bole determines the color effect that the gold leaf will have. The bole is then polished with a horsehair cloth, never sanded, as the marks would telegraph right through the gold leaf- not an attractive proposition.

The atelier of De Roo Lijstenmalers in Haarlem, the Netherlands

The gold leaf is then very carefully applied. I'll continue the story in Frame It! Part Deux

In the meantime,enjoy the art of the frame!

 Gold leaf has been applied and is awaiting the burnishing and patination.

Perfectly patinated

Silver leaf has been used here.

White-washed frames

Or, you can just paint the frame on the wall! 

Your choice of color.

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** Update

Back on March 10, 2011, I posted a a review of Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland, here.

For those of you who love Tiffany glass, you have an exciting opportunity to view over 45 of Tiffany's stained glass lamps at the Biltmore. The special exhibit runs from July 1, 2011 through January 31, 2012. Many of Clara Driscoll's creations can be seen there.

A Dutch Royal Unveiling

For all of you lovers of gilding and gold leaf, the Dutch Royal Palace (opened in 1655 as the Town Hall) in Amsterdam will soon be unveiling the royal restoration of its marble and stone facade. Here are a few photos of the restoration in progress of the tympanum, the triangular shaped section at the center top. 

The Before

 The Royal Palace in the heart of Amsterdam

 Wow! What a difference!

 The gilded garland...

needed to be cleaned, restored...

and gilded in the studio. (I always like to look around the studio- pretty neat!)

The marble being cleaned...

 and restored, here with a new nose.

 

Notice the prep work- the item to be gilded first receives either gesso and yellow (or red) bole or yellow paint, to give the gold leaf more depth when it is applied.

If you ever have the chance to visit the Netherlands, mid-April is the perfect time to see the breathtaking tulip and hyacinth fields. Simply amazing, even from your airplane seat!

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Walls: A Must!

I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

Seriously.

Walls: The Best of Decorative Treatments, Florence De Dampierre's new book, is that good. It is not just for designers and painters, but should become a staple in the library of anyone who is interested in design, whether in their own home or elsewhere.

Any book that starts off with the villa of Livia's garden frescoes gets my attention immediately. (They are even more spectacular in person and can be viewed at the Museo Nazionale Romano in Rome.) 

Ms. De Dampierre takes us on a tour of the best of decorated walls throughout history. From the simplest of decors...

to intricate and detailed frescoes, the book's beautiful photography transports you into each room.

There is a fair amount of attention given to stenciling and trompe l'oeil, both of which are skillfully done by many decorative artists today.

Gilding and painted patterns combine here in a spectacular manner.

Wallpapers are also covered, from the flocked...

to the sublime, hand-painted landscape version by the Zuber company. 

Of course,  you can also view Toile de Jouy, tapestries, murals and wood panels.

One of the rooms in the Pavlovsk Palace in Russia. Check out that marble!

As a decorative painter, it makes my heart sing to see a book totally devoted to its beauty. 

Thank you, Florence!

The best part is that today's artisans and artists are just as devoted to their craft. If you would like to view some fantastic work by these talented folks, visit Regina Garay's Fauxology blog this week to see some pretty darn cool powder rooms.

Beautiful photography by Tim Street-Porter and Pieter Estersohn.

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