Gilding with gesso and bole
Raised gold in a manuscript is not paint. It is a cushion of gesso, a breath, a leaf of gold and a dog’s tooth to burnish it. Here is how.
old leaf is thinner than a soap bubble. It will stick to your breath, your fingers and the draught under the door before it sticks to the page.
Lay the gesso first, in a raised pillow where you want the gold. Let it dry overnight, then scrape it smooth. Underneath, a coat of red clay called bole gives the gold its warm depth.
Laying the leaf
Cut the leaf on a leather cushion with a gilder’s knife. Breathe gently on the gesso through a paper tube, then lower the gold onto it in one move. Press it down through a sheet of glassine.
Burnishing
Wait ten minutes, then rub with an agate burnisher in small circles. The gold goes from matte to mirror. Tilt the page towards a candle and you will see why they bothered.
The drop caps across this site are drawn to behave the same way.
¶ Written by
Isolde Marr
Craft editor
Isolde trained as a manuscript conservator and still grinds her own pigments. She writes the Craft guides and tests every step in her kitchen first.
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