Art Gold leaf is sometimes used in art in a "raw" state, without a
gilding process. In cultures including the
European Bronze Age it was used to wrap objects such as
bullae simply by folding it tightly over, and the Classical group of
gold lunulae are so thin, especially in the centre, that they might be classed as gold leaf. It has been used in
jewellery in various periods, often as small pieces hanging freely. The
gold-ground style, where the background of the figures was all in gold, was introduced in mosaics in later
Early Christian art. The style was then used in
icons and Western panel paintings until the late
Middle Ages. Since the decline of
gold ground painting, gold leaf has been most popular and most common in its use as
gilding material for decoration of art (including
statues and
Eastern Christian icons) or the
picture frames that are often used to hold or decorate paintings,
mixed media, small objects (including jewellery) and paper art. Gold leaf is also used in
Buddhist art and various other Asian traditions to decorate statues and symbols.
Gold glass is gold leaf held between two pieces of glass, and was used to decorate Ancient Roman vessels, where some of the gold was scraped off to form an image, as well as
tesserae gold mosaics. In Western
illuminated manuscripts, gold areas are normally created by applying a glue to the page, then rubbing gold leaf onto the glue. Gold ink is rare. Gold leaf is the basis of the gold ink used in
Islamic calligraphy and Islamic
manuscript illumination, known as "tezhip." The leaves are crushed in honey or
gum arabic, then suspended in
gelatinous water. Because the gold is not pulverized as in industrially produced metal inks, the resulting surface looks very much like solid gold. "Gold" frames made without leafing are also available for a considerably lower price, but traditionally some form of gold or metal leaf was preferred when possible and gold leafed (or silver leafed) moulding is still commonly available from many of the companies that produce commercially available moulding for use as picture frames.
Architecture Gold leaf has long been an integral component of
architecture to designate important structures, both for aesthetics and because gold's non-reactive nature provides a protective finish. Gold in architecture became an integral component of Byzantine and Roman churches and basilicas in 400 AD, most notably
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. The church was built by
Pope Sixtus III and is one of the earliest examples of
gold mosaics. The mosaics were made of stone, tile or glass backed on gold leaf walls, giving the church a beautifully intricate backdrop. The Athenian marble columns supporting the nave are even older, and either come from the first basilica, or from another antique Roman building; thirty-six are marble and four granite, pared down, or shortened to make them identical by Ferdinando Fuga, who provided them with identical gilt-bronze capitals. The 14th century
campanile, or bell tower, is the highest in Rome, at . The basilica's 16th-century coffered ceiling, designed by
Giuliano da Sangallo, is said to be gilded with gold that
Christopher Columbus presented to
Ferdinand and Isabella, before being passed on to the Spanish pope,
Alexander VI. The apse mosaic, the
Coronation of the Virgin, is from 1295, signed by the
Franciscan friar,
Jacopo Torriti. The top two floors of the Golden Pavilion in the temple of
Kinkaku-ji in
Kyoto,
Japan, which originally dates back to 1399, are entirely covered with of gold leaf. In
Ottawa,
Ontario, the
Centre Block is the main building of the Canadian parliamentary complex on
Parliament Hill, containing the
House of Commons and
Senate chambers, as well as the offices of a number of members of parliament, senators, and senior administration for both legislative houses. It is also the location of several ceremonial spaces, such as the Hall of Honour, the Memorial Chamber, and Confederation Hall. Capping the Senate chamber is a gilded ceiling with deep octagonal
coffers, each filled with
heraldic symbols, including maple leaves, fleur-de-lis,
lions rampant,
clàrsach,
Welsh Dragons, and
lions passant. This plane rests on six pairs and four single
pilasters, each of which is capped by a
caryatid, and between which are
clerestory windows. Below the windows is a continuous architrave, broken only by
baldachins at the base of each of the above pilasters. In
London, the
Criterion Restaurant is an opulent building facing
Piccadilly Circus in the heart of London. It was built by architect
Thomas Verity in
Neo-Byzantine style for the partnership
Spiers and
Pond who opened it in 1873. One of the restaurant's most famous features is the 'glistering' ceiling of gold mosaic, coved at the sides and patterned all over with lines and ornaments in blue and white
tesserae. The wall decoration accords well with the real yellow gold leaf ceiling, incorporating semi-precious stones such as
jade,
mother of pearl,
turquoise being lined with warm
marble and formed into
blind arcades with semi-elliptical
arches resting on slender octagonal columns, their unmolded capitals and the impost being encrusted with
goldground mosaic Gold leaf adorns the wrought iron gates surrounding the
Palace of Versailles in France, when refinishing the gates nearly 200 years after they were torn down during the
French Revolution, it required hundreds of kilograms of gold leaf to complete the process. Gold leaf was used in the oil painting of the Bamiyan Buddha approximately 1,500 years ago. Gold leaf accents the
facade of
"it's a small world" at the
Disneyland Resort in
Anaheim,
California. File:Kinkaku-ji the Golden Temple in Kyoto overlooking the lake - high rez.JPG|The Golden Pavilion of
Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto, Japan File:Senate ceiling.jpg|Gold leaf and painted coffers of the Senate chamber ceiling in
Centre Block, Ottawa, Canada File:It's a Small World.jpg|Gold leaf on the facade of "it's a small world"
Cuisine with some gold leaf in the Nishimuraya Hotel Shogetsutei from
Kinosaki, Hyōgo, Japan Gold leaf (as well as other
metal leaf such as
vark) is sometimes used to decorate food or drink, typically to promote a perception of luxury and high value; however, it is flavorless. It is occasionally found in
desserts and
confectionery, including chocolates, honey and
mithai. In India it may be used effectively as a garnish, with thin sheets placed on a main dish, especially on festive occasions. When used as an additive to food, gold has the
E-number E175. A centuries-old traditional artisan variety of green tea contains pieces of gold leaf; 99% of this kind of tea is produced in
Kanazawa,
Japan, a historic city for
samurai craftsmanship. The city is also home to a gold leaf museum,
Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum. In
Continental Europe liquors with tiny floating pieces of gold leaf are known of since the late 16th century; originally the practice was regarded as medicinal. Well-known examples are
Danziger Goldwasser, originally from
Gdańsk, Poland, which has been produced since at least 1598,
Goldstrike from
Amsterdam,
Goldwasser from
Schwabach in
Germany , and the Swiss
Goldschläger. == See also ==