You might have heard of the term 'gilding the lily' - to adorn unnecessarily something that is already beautiful - you could say (and I do) that the beauty of calligraphy writing really doesn't need any further enhancement, but, the warm luxurious gleam of pure 24 carat gold truly does add a bit of something special.
I specialise in the ancient craft of gilding using pure, real gold and silver leaf.
gilders glue, Miniatum, uniquely binds to gold leaf
gilders glue, Instacol base, slowly layered over time to create a 3D effect
Uniting gilding with calligraphy dates way back to the Middle Ages when illuminations with gold leaf and other metals were used in the creation of manuscripts by monks, who toiled long days in stone scriptoria, in complete silence, by candlelight, and with no heating. Illumination, is from Latin illuminare, ‘to light up’.
The earliest surviving gilded manuscripts are 1500 years old, from the 5th century. Gilding with gold flourished for a nearly a thousand years, but sadly with the invention of the fast printing press in the 1400's, the time-consuming, costly, and highly specialised crafts of calligraphy and gilding declined.
Gradually, the illumination of books with gold by monks shifted to the domain of craftsmen, where they found who appreciated, and could afford, this unique art form.
This art form saw another resurgence in popularity 1800s, when sculptors, interior designers, furniture makers, and even chefs, brought gilding back out into the light, where it has happily remained shining through to today.
gold leaf application on gliders glue
application of the 24 carat gold leaf - the 'gilding'
Gilding techniques are largely the same as 500 years ago, but I'm thankful that materials have evolved away from using eggs, goat skins, bone dust, white lead, soot for colouring, and cheese glue and ear wax for setting. The new materials are safer, sustainable, and yet produce the same traditional, stunning results.
burnishing the gold to bring out its natural shine
I use authentic 24 carat gold leaf, and sliver leaf, produced in Germany. My process uses specialised gilding adhesives that bond tightly to the gold leaf and can be slowly layered to build up a sumptuous 3D effect.
New materials make gilding easier than it was 500 years ago, but handling ethereal, fine gold leaf is still extremely challenging but hugely rewarding.
Let me help you 'illuminare' your life !
Calligrapher, circa 1150 - self portrait by Eadwine, who humbly declared himself to be the leading prince of scribes. Image from Medieval Calligraphy, Marc Drogin, 1980, Dover Publications.
© Carlene McLean trading as Soul Calligraphy 2024. All Rights Reserved.