Gold leaf has been used for centuries to decorate objects of art, furniture and religious icons. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Carravaggio, Cellini and Gustav Klimt are well-known artists who incorporated gold leaf into their artworks.
“We have evidence that it was used as a decorative finish in Egypt and even beyond as drawings on cave walls have depicted artisans beating it into thin sheets and applying it to art and icons,” said Bonny Shuptrine of Shuptrine Fine Art & Framing.
Opening Friday at the gallery is “Heirloom,” an exhibit of crosses, antique mirrors, furniture, paintings, sculpture and other objects of art that incorporate gold leaf. Highlighted in the show are one-of-a-kind crosses made by Alan Shuptrine, who is known as a master craftsman and specializes in water-gilding methods.
The process of constructing a gilded cross is very tedious and time-consuming (see accompanying box). Often Shuptrine personalizes a cross for a client with sgraffito — designs or letters that are carved into the surface.
Beginning this week and continuing through Feb. 5, visitors to the gallery can watch Shuptrine restore a pier mirror from the 1800s. Each week, a new step in the gold-leafing process will be introduced as he progresses with the restoration from start to finish. The completed mirror will be unveiled at an open house on Feb. 10.