Gold Leaf, Paint & Glass

By Frances Federer

This pioneering book is the first publication in English to devote itself to the methods, techniques and history of reverse painting and gilding on glass, often known as 'verre eglomise'. Since the Renaissance the practice has passed in and out of fashion but today it is enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Discerning designers commission decorated glass for wall and ceiling panelling and for furniture inserts, while artists are increasingly exploring the medium, pushing at its boundaries. This book is written for students, artists, conservators, curators, interested amateurs, teachers and designers, many of whom will have been patiently waiting to learn more on this topic. The history of unfired decoration on glass is recounted in depth, illustrated with hitherto unpublished pictures. In the practical section clear step-by-step projects, suitable for a beginner as well as for a more experienced artist, serve as a singular introduction to an elegant, sophisticated art.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
• Release date: Aug 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781662910890

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The views and opinions expressed in this book are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of Gatekeeper Press. Gatekeeper Press is not to be held responsible for and expressly disclaims responsibility of the content herein.

Gold Leaf, Paint & Glass

Published by Gatekeeper Press

2167 Stringtown Rd, Suite 109

Columbus, OH 43123-2989

www.GatekeeperPress.com

Copyright © 2021 by Frances Federer

All rights reserved. Neither this book, nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

The cover design, interior formatting, typesetting, and editorial work for this book are entirely the product of the author. Gatekeeper Press did not participate in and is not responsible for any aspect of these elements.

ISBN (paperback): 9780957269408

eISBN: 9781662910890

CONTENTS

Foreword by William Gudenrath

Introduction

1 Painting and gilding under glass

2 The development of gold engraving

3 Historical sources and recipes by Simone Bretz

4 The gilder’s tools

5 Understanding materials

6 The mirror project

7 Further processes and recipes

8 Problem solving and safety advice

Appendixes

1 Glossary

2 Suppliers (U.S.A. and U.K.)

3 Bibliography

4 Picture credits

5 Notes

6 Acknowledgements

7 Notes on contributors

Index

FOREWORD

There are, today and in the past, two basic ways of attaching gold leaf (or other pure precious metals or alloys in the form of extremely thin sheets) to the surface of glass. It can either be affixed at room temperature using an adhesive, or affixed using great heat. This book is about the former ‘cold’ method of application.

In processes utilising heat, there are, historically, two approaches. In the first, the decoration is temporarily glued to the cold surface of the glass, and then fired to a temperature at which the glass softens or nearly softens. Without significant wear, the gold will remain intact indefinitely. Gold and enamel decoration on Venetian glass of about the year 1500 was carried out in this way.

A second ‘hot’ method can be employed. The preceding process is done, followed immediately by the addition of another layer of colorless glass atop the decoration. This method results in utter permanence, as the decoration is inaccessible to harmful agents like water and is isolated from abrasion. Roman ‘base-discs’ of the fourth century were made in this way. These have, variously, gold leaf, enamel, or – much rarer – gilded fine glass threads elaborately flame-worked protected between their two layers of glass. Completely intact examples look nearly as the day that they were made.

Whichever of the two hot methods is used, a kiln is required capable of fine temperature control within a tremendous range: from room temperature to about 593°C (1100°F). This is essential: if the glass is heated too quickly or unevenly, the object well may crack. If the work gets too hot for too long, it will collapse under its own weight. If cooled too quickly, it will surely crack; the finished work must be carefully annealed. Today, as in Roman times, successful firing of gold (and enamel) decoration requires both highly specialized equipment and a worker with great skill and experience. All of this, it should be noted, is needed in addition to the formidable complexities of creating the decoration in the first place.

Cold decoration, not intended for firing, is a very different matter and is, perhaps surprisingly, much more challenging for the artist/craftsperson: upon completion of the gilding and painting processes, decoration intended for firing is expected to remain intact for hours or days, at most: fusion resulting from the extreme heat will give it endurance. By sharp contrast, in a cold-painting workshop when the decorator completes his or her work, their knowledge and skill alone will determine whether the decoration survives for months or for centuries.

Here is the challenge: The smooth surface of glass – its lack of ‘tooth’, in distinction, say, to canvas, wood, or copper – indomitably resists the ‘grip’ of traditional painting media and the impregnation of pigments: ordinary paint simply does not like to stick to glass. That is the bad news.

The good news is, over many centuries, clever craftspeople have invented and refined concoctions for use as painting media, along with specialized processes that will actually result in paint sticking long-term to smooth glass … no heat required.

This book, Gold Leaf, Paint & Glass, brings together the results of years of research by the author into archival source-material coupled with extensive trial -and-error experimentation carried out in her workshop. Such a combination of theory and practice is essential for gleaning the real meaning from the old texts. The time-tested arcane formulae have been thoroughly modernised; intricate order-sensitive processes are thoroughly explained.

Anyone practising gilding and cold-painting on glass today has to get many very complicated things ‘right’ if they expect their work to last really long-term: that is why this book is so very important.

William Gudenrath, Resident Advisor at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass

INTRODUCTION

Reverse painted and gilded glass has long been recognised as a versatile and practical form of decoration but its popularity has waxed and waned over the centuries. Since the early 1980s we have been experiencing a resurgence of its use: galleries, museums, shops and magazines show us decorated glass as framed art, panels set into furniture, wall coverings and as objets d’art. Despite this popularity, there is little practical information on the subject.

Several publications from central Europe and numbers of international exhibition catalogues (now mostly out of print) address gilding and painting on glass from a curatorial or historical point of view and many are a rich source of information. They discuss the art in great depth but it is not their intention, nor are they probably able, to explain the processes from a practitioner’s point of view. In addition, as much of reverse gilding and painting stems from Germanspeaking countries, most of the literature is in that language. This makes it inaccessible to many readers.

Practical instruction books on gilding, in English, often have a page on verre églomisé (explained on pages 1–2), but the information can be inadequate. This book intends to fill that gap. It is written for students, artists, collectors, conservators, curators, interested amateurs, teachers and designers, many of whom are ready and waiting to learn more on this topic.

A definition of the art is followed by a general overview of the history of gold engraving on glass, which spans the Americas, Europe, parts of Africa and Asia. Chapter 3 is written by Simone Bretz, a freelance conservator and restorer of reverse painting on glass (see her website at www.bretz-hinterglas.com). She focuses her history on central Europe, demonstrating how methods have changed little over the centuries. Her text is supported by hitherto unpublished illustrations from the collection of the author Wolfgang Steiner.

Each chapter builds on the previous one: the historical detail puts in context the practical information. Chapter 4 covers tools, followed by a discussion of materials; chapter 6 is a fully illustrated step-bystep project, a starting point for the beginner. The next chapter expands on all processes, with recipes and supplementary information enabling readers to move on to projects of their own. Finally, common problems and safety are covered in Chapter 8.

Illustrations of work by contemporary practitioners demonstrate a variety of approaches and designs. A glossary, bibliography and suppliers’ list all enable the interested reader to pursue the subject further.

The subject of fired gilding and its processes is not covered here. This book confines itself to ‘cold techniques’ that need no special heat source or equipment. Neither is the restoration or conservation of painted glass, painting techniques for stained glass, nor sign-writing discussed, as these are covered elsewhere in the literature.

1

PAINTING AND GILDING UNDER GLASS

Broadly speaking, reverse painting on glass may consist of any non-fired decoration that is viewed by reflected light from the opposite side of the object.¹

The principle of reverse engraving on glass is fairly simple: gold leaf is glued to glass with gelatine dissolved in water; burnished when dry with cotton or cottonwool; scratched through with a sharpened wooden stylus to make a design and finally covered with a layer of paint (diluted with solvents) as a colour background to offset and protect the metal leaf. Processes are in reverse order to the norm: gilding is done first and background colours are applied last.

There is no need for kilns or complex machinery; a kitchen table will suffice. However, as with many apparently simple processes, there are several variations of