Gilding Academy - Leaf Gilding Tutorials

Gilding Academy: a complete guide to the art of gilding

In this section, we would like to share a little bit of Giusto Manetti Battiloro’s four hundred-year experience in the industry, along with tips from the best gilders who collaborate with us. The Gilding Academy is a practical guide to the main techniques of leaf gilding with precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium) and imitation metals (imitation gold, aluminium, copper). We will also talk about the tools that are needed and the analysis of materials and surfaces.

With these recommendations, images and videos you will be able to discover the world of gold leaf and how it is used in restoration, craftsmanship and design. Learn every step of the process and get to know the most ancient and labour-intensive techniques (such as water gilding) as well as the most modern ones (such as using size with different bases such as water, alcohol and oil).

Each stage of the process is described in detail, and we look at applications on a variety of materials such as wood, metal, marble, glass, plastic, leather, paper and cardboard.