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Wc need not doubt but they had the fame Method with us, ot bearing Gold, and reducing it into Leaves ; though it mould feem rhey did not carry it to the lame Height; if it is true which \Pliny relates, that they only made five- hundred Leaves four fingers iquarc of a whole Ounce. In- deed he adds that they could make more ; that the thic- Jtefcwcre called Bratic<s c Pr<£neftince, by reafbn of a Sta- tue of that Goddefs at Trtenejie gilt with fuch Leaves; and that the thinner fort were called BraEled? g>ueft,ori<£.
The modern Gilders do alfo make ufe of Gold Leaves of divers Thickneffes; but there are fome fo fine, that a thouiand don't weigh above four or five Drachms. The thickcit are ufed for gilding on Iron, and other Metals; and the thinncil, on Wood. — ■
But we have another Advantage over the Antients, in the manner of ufing, or applying the Gold: The Secret ot paint- ing in Oil, lately difcover'd, furniflies us with means of gild- ing Works that fhall endure all the- Injuries of Time and Weather, which to the Anticnts was impracticable. They had no way to lay the Gold on Bodies that would not en- dure the Fire but with Whites of Eggs, or Size; neither of which will endure the Water : So that they could only gild fuch Places as were Jhclter'd from the Moiiture of the Weather. —
The Greeks called the Compofition which they ufed for gilding on Wood, Leucophenm, er Leitcophoritm j which is defcribed as a fort of glutinous, compound Earth, ferving, in all Probability, to make the Gold flick, and bear poliming. But the Particulars of this Earth, its Colour, Ingredients,**^. the Antiquaries and Naturalitts are not agreed upon.
There are feveral Methods of Gilding in ufe among us ; viz. Gilding in Oil ; Water Gilding ; Gilding by the Fire, which is peculiar to Metals ; Gilding of 'Books, ckc.
Method of Gilding in Oil.
The Bails, or Matter whereon the Gold is applied, in this Method, is the Remains of Colours found fettled to the Bottom of the Pots wherein the Painters wafli their Pencils. This Matter, which is very vifcid, they firff. grind; then pafs it thro' a linen Cloth ; and thus lay it with a Pencil on the Matter to be gilt, after having firft. wa/h'd it once or twice over with Size ; and if it be Wood, with fome white Paint.
When almoft dry, but while yet unc/tuous enough to catch and retain the Gold, they fpread their Gold Leaves there- on, either whole, or cut in pieces : To take up and apply the Leaves, they make ufe of a Piece of fine, foft, well carded Cotton ; or of a Palet for the purpofe ; or barely the Knife, ■wherewith the Leaves were cut, according to the Parts of the Work they are togild, or theBreadth of the Gold to be applied.
In proportion as the Gold is laid, they pafs over it a coarfe, (tiff Pencil or Brufli, to make it ftick, and, as it were, in- corporate, with the Ground : With the fame Pencil, or a fmaller one, they mend any Cracks that may happen therein, after the fame manner as will be hereafter ilicwn in Water Gilding.
This fort of Gilding is chiefly ufed for Domes, and Roofs of Churches, Courts, Banquctting Houfcs, t£c. and for Fi- gures of Platter, Lead, $£c. that are to Aand expofed to the Weather.
Method of Gilding in Water.
Water Gilding is not perform'd without more Apparatus; rior can it be uied fo ordinarily, nor on fuch large Works, as the former : Wooden Works, and thofe of Stuc, are almoft the only ones gilt in this way: which, beflde, mutt be Iheker'd from the Weather.
The Size made ufe "of for gilding, is to be made of Shreds, c^c. of Parchment, or Gloves, boii'd in Water, to the Confittence of a Gelly. Sec Glue.
If it be Wood that is to be gilt, they firft give it a Wajh of this Size, boiling hot; and when this is dry, an- other of white Paint, mix'd up with the fame Size. For this White, fome ufe Platter of Paris, well beaten and lifted ; others Spanifh White, £S?c. It is laid on with a fliff Brufh, and oftener, or feldomer repeated, according to the Nature of the Work: For Pieces of Sculpture, feven or eight Lays fulfice ; for flat, or fmooth Works, ten, or twelve. In the latter Cafe they are applied by drawing the Brufli over the Work ; in the former by dabbing it.
When the whole is dry, they moiften it with fair Water, and rub it over with feveral Pieces of coarfe Linen, if it be on flat ; otberwife, they beat or fwitch it with feveral Slips of the fame Linen tied to little Sticks, to make it ■follow and enter all the Cavities and DeprefTures thereof.
The White thus finifh'd, they proceed to yellow it; ob- ferving, that if it be a Piece of Sculpture in Relievo, they flrlf touch up, and repare the feveral Parts which the white Ground may have disfigur'd, with little iron Instruments, as Gouges, ChifTels.trr.
The Yellow, which they ufe, is only common Oker well ground and fifted, and thus mix'd up with the Size us'd for
the White, only weaker by one half. This Colour is laid on hot; and in Works of Sculpture fupplies the Place of Gold, which frequently cannot be carried into all the Cavi- ties and X>entings ot Foliages and other Ornaments.
Over this yellow is applied a Lay, which is to ferve for the Ground whereon the Gold is to be immediately laid : It is ufually compofed of the Armenian Bole, Blood-ftone^ Black Lead, and a little Fat, to which fome add Soap and OH of Olives ; others, burnt Bread, Bittre, Antimonv, Glafs of Tin, Butter and SugarCandy. Thefe Ingredients being all ground together, with hot Size, they apply three Lays of the Compofition upon the Yellow, each after the other is dried ■ taking Care not to put any in the final] Cavities of the Work, to hide the yellow. The Brufli ufed in this Application's to be foft ; and when the Matter is well dried, they go over it with a flronger Brufli, to rub it down, and take off the little prominent Grains, and thus facilitate the burniiTiing of the Gold.
In order to proceed to gild, they muft have three forts of Pencils; one, to wet; another to touch up, and amend; and a third to flatten: There is alfo required a Cufhion, to fpread the Gold Leaves on, when taken out of the Book - a Knife to cut them ; and a Squirrel's Tail fitted with a Handle ; or elfe a piece of fine Stuff on a Stick, to take them up, direct, and apply them. — ■
They begin with the wetting Pencils, by which they moiflen the Lay laft laid on with Water, that it may the better receive and retain the Gold : The Leaves are then laid on the Cufhion ; and taken up, if whole, with the Squir- rel's Tail; if in pieces, with the other Inttrument, or even the Knife they are cut withal, and laid, and fpread gently on the Parts of the Work before moiften'd.
When the Leaves happen to crack, or break in laying on, they make up the Breaches with little Pieces of Leaf taken up on the repairing Pencil ; and with the fame Pencil, or another fomewhat bigger, they fmooth the whole; preffing the Gold into the Dents, where it could not fo well be car- ried with the Squirrel's Tail.
The Work thus far gilt, when dry, remains either to be burnifli'd,or flatted.' —
To bitmijb it, is to fmooth, and polifli with a Burniflicr, which is ufually a Dog's, or Wolf's Tooth, or a Blood- fione fitted in a Handle for the purpofe. See Burnishing.
To fiat, is to give it a light Lick in the Places not bur- nifli'd, with a Pencil dipt in Size, wherein a little Vermil- lion fomctimes has been mix'd. This helps to preferve and prevent its flawing, when handled.
The latt thing is to apply the Vermeil in all the little Lines, and Cavities; and to ttop and amend any little Faults with Shell Gold.
The Compofition here call'd Vermeil, is made of Gum Gutta, Vermillion, and a little of fome ruddy, brown Co- lour, ground together, with Venice Varnifli, and Oil of Tur- pentine. Some Gilders, in lieu hereof, content themfelves with fine Lacca, or Dragons Blood, with Gum Water.
Sometimes, inttead of burnifhing the Gold, they burni/h the Ground or Compofition laid on latt before it ; and con- tent themfelves afterwards to wafh the Part over with the Size. This Method is chiefly practiced for the Hands, Face, and other Nudities in Relievo ; which, by this means, don't appear fo very brillant as the Parts burnifli'd ; though much more fo than the Parts perfectly flat.
To gild a Work, and yet preferve white Grounds ; they ufe to apply a Lay of Spani/h White mix'd with a weak Fifli Glue, on all the Parts of the Ground whereon the yellow, or the laft Lay might run.- — ■
Method of Gilding hy the Fire.
There are two ways of Gilding by Fire, viz. that with Liquid Gold, and that with LeafGold.
The firft is perform'd with Gold, redue'd to a Calx, and amalgamated with Mercury, in the Proportion of about an Ounce of Mercury to a Drachm of Gold.
In order to the Operation, they heat a Crucible red hot, then put the Gold and Mercury in it, and ttir them gently about, till the Gold be found melted and incorporated into a Mafs with the Mercury. This done, they catt them into Water, to wafh and purify ; and thence into other Waters where the Amalgama which is almoft as liquid as if there were nothing but Quickfilver in it, may be preferved a long time for Ufe.
Before they proceed to apply this amalgamated Gold, they firft rotigken the Metal it is to be applied on ; which is done by wafhing it over with Aqua fortis, or Aqua fe- cunda: Then rincing the Metal in fair Water, and fcour- ing it a little with fmall Sand, it is ready for the Gold. —
They now cover over the Metal with the Mixture of Gold, and Mercury, taking it up with a Slip of Copper, or a Brufli. made of brafs Wire, and fpreading it as equably thereon as poffible ; in order to which, they wet the Brulh from time to time in fair Water. — ■
Thus
