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.

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