Looking glass
1750–70
Object PlaceEngland or America
Medium/TechniqueMahogany veneer, carved and gilded pine, glass
DimensionsOverall: 139.7 x 68.6 x 5.1 cm (55 x 27 x 2 in.)
Credit LineGift of Eleanor Fayerweather
Accession number1991.244
On View
On viewClassificationsFurniture
Collections
In gilding, the craftsman applied a thin layer of gold to a surface. In water gilding, he placed a warmed, powdered chalk and a glue-based gesso (a primer) on the wood surface. Then, a layer of bole (a glue-bound, ground clay) was added. Small sheets of gold leaf were applied to the moistened bole surface and often burnished with a stone. In oil gilding, the craftsman brushed a thin layer of drying oil (often colored) over the gesso ground, adhering the gold leaf to its surface. Oil gilding cannot be burnished and leaves a subtler, matte finish.
about 1790-1820
