Recipe
Marjolijn Abbreviated Recipe
Grind red clay with water until it is a viscous paste. Now mix with rsg water solution (1:15). Apply with soft (minnever for instance) brush. Apply about four layers smoothly. polish last layer with your agate burnisher until shiny and very smooth.
Ms. Fr. 640 Recipe (see bold)
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<id>p006r_1</id>
<head>To lay down and set burnished <m>gold</m> and give red or green or blue</head>
<ab>
<m>Ceruse</m> and <m>lead white</m> is not appropriate for polished white nor for burnishing because it is fat, but it is quite good for matte <m>gold</m>, which is made with <m>oil</m>[by] mixing it with yellow <m>ochre</m> and <m>mine</m> and tempering the whole with <m>oil</m>, and this matte <m>gold</m> so applied lasts in the rain as <m>gilded</m> <m>leadworks</m> and similar things [do]. Therefore for burnished <m>gold</m> take some good <m>chalk</m>, quite white, well ground and soaked with <m>distemper glue</m> and with it, make four coats one after the other on the <m>wood</m>. And the last being dry, rub it with <m>horsetail</m>, which is an herb differently named <m><al>horse</al>tail</m>, to render it well polished. Afterwards, take some fine <m><pl>Armenian </pl>bole</m> and some <m>sanguine</m>, as much of one as of the other, [and] also <m><al>lamb </al>tallow</m> the size of a <m>bean</m> or a <m>pea</m> depending on the quantity of <m>bole</m> and a little bit of <m>willow charcoal</m> or as much as of <m>tallow</m> and half a <m>walnut shell</m> filled with half-burned <m>saffron</m>; some put in a little <m>candi sugar</m>. Grind everything together with <m>water</m> and apply it without <m>gum</m> or <m>glue</m> and let it dry and rub the place that you would like to <m>gild</m> with a piece of white cloth to better unify [it] and when the rubbed place is a little shiny it is a sign that the <m>gold</m> will be well. Having rubbed, wash the place that you want to <m>gild</m> with a clean brush soaked with clear <m>water</m> and promptly apply the <m>gold</m> which you will burnish once dry. And if you want to set some <m>rouge clair</m> and glaze it, grind some <m><pl>Venice </pl>lake</m> on the <m>marble</m> with some <m>walnut oil</m> or <m>linseed<sup> oil</sup></m>. Once ground mix some <m>turpentine varnish</m> or <m>spike lavender<sup> varnish</sup></m> and apply; on <m>gold</m>, [when applied] with the brush, <m><pl>brazil</pl>wood</m> and <m>laque ronde</m> fade away. For green, temper <m>verdigris</m> with <m>walnut oil</m> or <m>linseed<sup> oil</sup></m> and grind it, then mix in some <m>turpentine varnish</m> and not <m>aspic<sup> varnish</sup></m> which is not suitable for <m>verdigris</m>. If you want to glaze with <m>azure</m> it has to be set on burnished <m>silver</m> and take <m>azur d’esmail</m> and without grinding mix it with <m>turpentine varnish</m> and apply.
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Materials
Material | Source |
Panel (prepared with bole) | Lab Inventory: SE |
Gold leaf | Lab Inventory |
Water (tap) | Lab Inventory |
Rabbit skin glue | Lab Inventory |
Grain Alcohol (ethanol) | Lab Inventory |
Tools
Tool | Source |
Newspaper | Lab Inventory |
1000 grain sand paper | Lab Inventory |
Burnisher (agate) | Lab Inventory |
Humidifier | Lab Inventory |
Double boiler apparatus | Lab Inventory |
Cardboard Panels | Lab Inventory |
Gilder’s cushion | Lab Inventory |
Tweezers | Lab Inventory |
Gilder’s Knife | Lab Inventory |
Gilder’s tip | Lab Inventory |
Paintbrush | Lab Inventory |
100ml glass beaker | Lab Inventory |
Pipette | Lab Inventory |
Work Station
Procedure/ Work Flow: Gilding
Material
Grain Alcohol
Red bole
Rabbit Skin Glue
Gold Leaf
Waste Management Plan
[a]is this just ethanol?
[b]grain alcohol = ethanol
[c]How big is a 'drop'? Pipettes are not very precise. Does this require a precise measurement?
[d]a drop from the pipet will do
[e]Not completely clear on this step. Does this come before burnishing? Do we have a collection procedure for the excess gold leaf since I assume we don't want to just throw it away.
[f]There is a vial for excess gold leaf in the gold leaf drawer
[g]BOTH CAN BE DISPOSED OF DOWN THE DRAIN OR IN THE TRASH