Modern artists are reinventing traditional gold leaf application methods, creating works of unprecedented luminosity and complexity.
The use of gold in lacquer art has a long and storied history. In traditional practice, ultra-thin sheets of 24-karat gold were carefully laid over tacky lacquer surfaces, then burnished to create areas of brilliant metallic highlight.
Contemporary artists have expanded far beyond this foundation, experimenting with different gold alloys, partial gilding, and the deliberate aging of gold surfaces to create complex patinas that reward close examination.