How to Do Traditional Water Gilding

Essential techniques, specialty kits, and professional instruction for mastering this historic craft.

Discover the ancient, time-honored method of applying gold leaf to complex, carved, and sculptural wood surfaces with unparalleled brilliance and refinement.

Traditional water gilding is a classical technique that relies on true gesso, finely prepared clay bole, and natural protein-based glues such as rabbit skin or gelatin glue. Gold leaf is laid onto the activated bole surface and then carefully burnished with polished agate tools, producing a luminous, mirror-like finish that cannot be achieved with modern adhesive methods.

This method allows for subtle contrasts between highly burnished highlights and soft matte passages, giving depth, warmth, and life to the gilded surface. Because the gold is bonded directly to the bole layer, the finish becomes an integral part of the object rather than a surface coating.

Traditional water gilding is considered one of the foundational gilding techniques from which many contemporary gilding processes evolved. It was the primary method used by master craftsmen of past centuries to create the gilded panels, frames, furniture, and architectural elements now preserved in museums and historic interiors around the world.

While water gilding requires patience, precision, and practice, it rewards the gilder with unmatched control, durability, and visual richness—making it a cornerstone skill for serious artisans, restorers, and conservators.