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Gilding Conservation at the Washington Monument
The interior of the Washington Monument has over 190 carved stone tablets set into the walls of the edifice, many of them dating from the 1850’s. Of these stones, at least 12 of them were originally gilded. The gilding was used on lettering and ornament, most of it incised into the stones...
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Acrylics: Catalysts for New Advances in Gilding Restoration
Publication: Traditional Building January/February 2002
In previous articles we have explored materials for gilding, preparation techniques, and the challenges of gilding in modern times. While the basic technique of gilding traces its roots to ancient Egypt and earlier, modern developments in sizes (adhesives), primers, pigments and protective sealers have opened a new chapter in how leaf is applied and protected...
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The New World of Exterior Gilding
Publication: Traditional Building July/August 1996
The gilding of exterior architectural ornament goes back hundreds of years; Gilded domes, spires, steeples and other ornament abound throughout France, Belgium and other Western European countries, as well as the US. Well known examples occur across Russia in the gilded minarets and onion domes associated with orthodox churches and government buildings...
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Preparation is Everything
Publication: Traditional Building March/April 1995
In early 1921, the original West Virginia State Capitol building caught fire and burned to the ground. Later that year the legislature commissioned Cass Gilbert to build an entire new capitol building. For the next decade, work proceeded apace and in 1931 the building was completed. Rising to a height of over 300 feet, the rotunda is capped by an elaborate lead coated copper dome patterned after the one atop the church at Les Invalides in Paris.
