gold leaf

Ingredients

gold leaf, egg white, gum, animal protein

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The area to be gilded was first marked out with a pen, reed or brush charged with an adhesive – usually egg white or gum, although animal protein adhesives were also used. The leaf was then carefully laid onto the area covered with adhesive and a soft cloth was used to damp it into position. When the adhesive dried, the excess gold was gently brushed away (p. 261).

Evidence

"Perhaps the best known of all Islamic manuscripts written in gold leaf is the Blue Qur’an, whose provenance and dating are disputed. Bloom dates it to the tenth century ad."

Remarks

The Blue Qur'an is the most famous example of writing in gold leaf on parchment. The gold reflects light in a specific 'formal' way, capturing and reflecting it differently as the page turns (p. 261-262).