Page 5 - Christie's Collecting Guide to Gold-Ground Paintings

The painter as craftsman — and part of a team

Gold-ground paintings were produced by teams of specialised artisans working together. One
person would start by cutting and planing a seasoned plank, usually poplar. This was then
coated with a layer of gesso — a mixture of chalk and glue made from animal skin.

Next, the initial design would be sketched onto the panel’s surface in charcoal, and the outline
would then be incised with a scalpel. After that, a layer of reddish-brown clay called ‘bole’
would be applied around the incised lines. This acted as a primer and gave the gold a deep,
rich colour.

Gold leaf — made from coins melted and then pounded into exceptionally thin sheets about
three inches square — was then delicately applied to the bole with a brush.

Associate of Ambrogio Lorenzetti (1285/90-1348), The Crucifixion with the Madonna
and Saint John the Evangelist. Tempera and gold on panel. 12½ x 9 in (31.8 x 22.9 cm).
Sold for $945,000 on 9 June 2022 at Christie’s in New York

The gold would be burnished and buffed to create a uniform, shiny surface. Patterns of tiny
holes were then punched into this using sharp tools. These are typically found in the haloes
that surround figures, and around the picture’s borders, adding texture to the panel’s surface
and affecting the way the light is reflected from it. Each workshop tended to have its own
signature pattern. For the final stage, a painter would add the image using tempera — a
mixture of pigment and binder, normally egg yolk.