I started Gold Leaf Restoration in 1980 after spending 2 1/2 years working with two different gilders on the East Coast. Nils Johnson in Boston, and Bill Keck in Waterbury, Conn. Both of these gilders were master craftsman from an era where pride in their abilities and love of the craft earned them enormous respect in their communities.

My first influence in the world of gilding was through a woman who was a student of Daniel Thompson Jr. in the 1930’s at Yale University. Daniel Thompson Jr. was a British historian and author who wrote the most recent translation of Cennino Cennini’s A Craftsman’s Handbook and several other books on medieval painting techniques.

He used his students to help update the 14th century recipes, and in doing so greatly influenced the continuation of the interest in the craft of water gilding into the 20th century.

Gold Leaf Restoration specializes in Architectural Gilding, Restoration and Fabrication