Gold Leaf Restoration :: Fabrication Work

Gold Leaf Restoration has fabricated closed corner picture frames, reproduction mirror frames, and furniture for many years; often working with artists and craftsmen involved in the renovation of home interiors. We happily collaborate with retail picture framers, designers, cabinet makers, furniture makers, designers, and carvers; to either reproduce an antique, a contemporary item, or a piece of their own design. Our reproductions are usually gilded in the historical techniques of burnish water gilding or oil gilding.

Bronze, glass, fabric, plaster, tiles, aluminum, all lend themselves to types of leafing. After applying leaf, dyes and glazes can be used to simulate aging, define forms, and tint the leaf color. We can make aluminum look like 12K gold, new copper leaf like an old, worn penny, and brass leaf to appear as 23K gold. Abrading the leaf surface creates a gossamer shimmer, with background colors adding richness and interest.

In Nancy's own words, "I feel that the closer you get to an object, the more interesting and complex the surface should look. The various layers should blend into a minute world of color and texture. That's when it's right. The client may not understand why, but they know when the surface looks correct instead of contrived."

COMING SOON: A downloadable pdf of our current, fabricated picture frame catalog. (Sorry, but we're not taking online orders at this time.)

"I am a painting conservator, and in my experience, Nancy is one of the best gilders in the nation. She restores frames for my clients, and makes period reproductions for diverse antique paintings that are missing frames, with amazing results. She has a true mastery of her craft. I highly recommend her and her personable staff."

— Elzbieta Osiak

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BELL CHANDELIER: The central part of the fixture and the candle saucers are water gilt ceramic in 23K gold leaf. All the metal parts are brass leafed and treated to look like old bronze.

CHINESE SCREEN: These screen panels were cast in a plaster type material in the 1970s. The screens were first painted red, then black, and then gilded in brass leaf. We rubbed all the high areas down to expose the black, some red, and some of the bone colored casting material. The leaf was then sealed and warmed up with an amber colored resin coating.

19TH CENTURY OVAL REPRODUCTION OF A PORTRAIT FRAME: Water gilding the frame body, the composition ornament is ready to be oil gilt after the water gilt areas are burnished.

19TH CENTURY OVAL REPRODUCTION OF A PORTRAIT FRAME: Next an oil based glaze material is swabbed on, then wiped and evened out, to produce the warm, deep glow of aged gold leaf.

19TH CENTURY OVAL REPRODUCTION OF A PORTRAIT FRAME: The final 4 foot high reproduction. The frame body is bass wood, cast composition ornament, oil and water gild 23K gold leaf, antiqued.

VICTORIAN REPRODUCTION FRAME: This reproduction frame was made for an antique mirror. The moulding is 10" wide. The base material is wood with composition ornament. The finish is brass leaf toned with shellac and 12K gold leaf.

19-CENTURY PIER MIRROR: The crest, swags and shoulder pieces for this 6 foot pier mirror had been lost for many years. The client wanted ornament so that the frame would have more visual weight against her floral Victorian wallpaper. We attached the composition ornament in the traditional manner with heavy wire, and water gilt the 12 K, oil gilding the brass leaf to match the frame body.

DOG TABLE: Reproduction pair of tables carved by Steve Pancoast. Water gilt 23K