Society of Gilders Membership Form

TABLE OF
CONTENTS
VOLUME 23 NO. 1 SPRING 2009
8
12
10
Gilding at the Smithsonian:
24kt Gold Leaf on Glass
Napoleon’s Coach
Notes on the 2008 Society of
Gilder’s Conference
An Experiment of the Electrical
Properties of Gilded Glass
A Model of a Historic Coach
gets the Royal Treatment
MORE FEATURES
Restoration in New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
In Memory of Paul Levi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
DEPARTMENTS
President’s Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Corporate Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
New Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Membership Information Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Membership Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Index of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
VISIT US ONLINE AT
www.societyofgilders.org
The Society of Gilders serves its members
in the industry through education, promotion
and representation.
The statements and opinions expressed
herein are those of the individual authors and
do not necessarily represent the views of the
association, its staff, or its board of directors,
The Gilder’s Tip, or its editors. Likewise, the
appearance of advertisers, or their identification
as Society of Gilders members, does not
constitute an endorsement of the products or
services featured in this, past or subsequent
issues of this quarterly publication.
Copyright ©2009 by the The Society of
Gilders. The Gilder’s Tip is published biannually. Subscriptions are complimentary to
members of the Society of Gilders.
POSTMASTER: Send change of address
notification to Society of Gilders, P.O. Box 323
Rochester,
MN
55903-323.
Postage
guaranteed. Presorted standard postage is paid
at Franklin, TN. Printed in the U.S.A.
The Gilder’s Tip is the bi-annual journal of
the Society of Gilders. We welcome all articles,
photographs, and manuscripts for consideration.
We will acknowledge all submissions and return
those we cannot publish.
Title to the copyrights in The Gilder’s Tip
remains with the authors unless otherwise
indicated and they have granted publication
rights to The Society of Gilders.
Advertising: For display and classified
advertising rates and insertions, please
contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC,
206 Bridge St., Franklin, TN 37064,
(615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524.
P R E S I D E N T ’ S L E T T E R Michael Kramer
ight now I’m in New Orleans with a group
of our fellow gilders working on the Community Project. The past two days we have
been working on the main altar and a side chapel
of St. Alphonsus Church. Completed in 1858
this church features amazing decorative work
throughout. From frescoes on the ceiling to
gilding on almost every surface, this place is
amazing. We have found water gilding under
paint under oil gilding. As we worked on two
gilded sculptures, we found several layers of oil
gilding on top of original polychrome paint.
This has been an interesting archeological project as we learn more about the different decorating campaigns over the last 150 years, layer
by layer. The communion rail is a work of art
all its own. It is over one hundred feet long with
wonderful ornately carved wooden panels, all
of which were water gilded originally. Sometime
in the 1950’s most of the gilding was painted
over with horrible gray lead paint, which also
has oil gilding on top! It’s our hope that we can
have the money donated to abate the lead paint
and we can restore the water gilding on this
striking element. This structure is a treasure
and we are thrilled to be working here.
Tomorrow a group of us will start on frame
repairs at the Louisiana State Museum. In all,
there will be more than twenty-five members of
the SOG here this week, volunteering their time
and skills, while paying their own way to give
back to the community. Let’s not forget our
Corporate Members who donated the materials.
I want to thank Sepp Leaf Products, Easy Leaf,
Wehrung and Billmeier along with Wrights of
Lymm, all of whom donated generously of gold
leaf and other materials to this worthwhile under-
R
SOCIETY
OF GILDERS
Corporate Members
GOLD
SEPP LEAF PRODUCTS
Peter Sepp, N.Y.C., NY
(212) 683-2840
PICTURE FRAMING
MAGAZINE
Bruce Gherman, NJ
SILVER
EASY LEAF PRODUCTS
Larry Neuberg, L.A., CA
(800) 569-5323
IMTRADEX CORPORATION
Jean Pierre Bauer, Toronto, Canada
(416) 656-7676
Please support our Corporate
Members with your patronage.
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| T H E G I L D E R’ S T I P | S P R I N G 2 0 0 9
taking. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention all
the time and effort put into the logistics by local
members John and Madelyn Nelson and Diane
Killeen. They have made our task that much
easier and frankly, I don’t think we could do it
without their generous efforts. The folks here
in New Orleans really appreciate our efforts. To
say that I am proud to be a part of this organization is an understatement. The positive energy
here is palpable. It was just four months ago
when were working on the Marine Corps War
Memorial (Iwo Jima) in Washington during
Gilding at the Smithsonian 2008. Again, all
the labor and materials were donated by our
members. How fitting for our 20th Anniversary celebration.
If you haven’t been able to participate in one
of our Community Projects, I highly recommend
it. Where else are you going to be able to work
with skilled gilders of all stripes on some of the
most beautiful edifices in the country? All the
while refining skills and learning new ones, with
some of the most talented artisans from across
the country.
I think this is one of the best aspects of our
organization, promoting education and giving
back to the community. There is no other organization like this in the world and to have the
turnout we have had this week, especially during these tough times is a testament to our membership. Whether you could make it this time
or not, we did it with your support. Kudos to
all of you.
All the very best,
Michael
CONTINUED
VOLUME 23 NO. 1 • SPRING 2009
The Gilder’s Tip is the official publication of the
Society of Gilders.
Statement of Purpose
The Society of Gilders is an international, non-profit
educational organization devoted to the art and craft
of gilding. Membership is open to any interested
individual, organization or corporation.
The Gilder’s Tip is the bi-annual journal of the Society
of Gilders. We welcome all articles, photographs, and
manuscripts for consideration. We will acknowledge all
submissions and return those we cannot publish. Title
to the copyrights in The Gilder’s Tip remains with the
authors unless otherwise indicated and they have granted
publication rights to The Society of Gilders.
P.O. Box 323 • Rochester, MN 55903-323
Toll free (888) 991-7676
www.societyofgilders.org
Email: [email protected]
Published by
Leading Edge Communications, LLC
206 Bridge Street • Franklin, Tennessee 37064
(615) 790-3718 • Fax (615) 794-4524
Email: [email protected]
Editor
Charles Douglas, Seattle, WA (206) 795-8376
Email: [email protected]
Assistant Editor
Nelda Danz, Seattle, WA (206) 854-6025
Email: [email protected]
Contributing Writers
Alison Woolley Bukhgalter (Florence)
Frances Federer (London)
Malek Moussouni (Paris)
Executive Secretary
Marilyn Campbell, MN
Email: [email protected]
Regional Education
Jill London, NY
(212) 475-3174; CA (415) 821-2001
Email: [email protected]
SOG Officers
President
Michael Kramer, MD (301) 929-9450
Email: [email protected]
Vice-President
Micki Cavanah, TN (615) 865-2666
Email: [email protected]
Treasurer
Dr. Naomi Geller Lipsky, MN (401) 647-3159
Email: [email protected]
Secretary
Patricia Miranda, NY (914) 935-9362
Email: [email protected]
Trustees
Angela Caban, NY (212) 740-8118
Email: [email protected]
Allen Marx, NJ (609) 919-1966
Ina Brosseau Marx, NJ (609) 919-1966
Email: [email protected]
Peter Miller, CT (203) 263-3939
Email: [email protected]
Alternate Trustees
Mitch Cavanah, TN (615) 865-2666
Email: [email protected]
Smith B. Coleman, SC (843) 853-7000
Email: [email protected]
Colleen Donaldson, Scotland, UK
Email: [email protected]
Madilynn Nelson, LA (504) 908-6633
John Nelson, LA (504) 908-6633
Email: [email protected]
Jill London, NY (212) 475-3174; CA (415) 821-2001
Email: [email protected]
Past Presidents
William Adair
Peter Crafts
Stanley Robertson
Brendon Brandon
Ross O’Neal
Michael Kulicke
Peter Miller
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SOG NEW MEMBERS
Welcome,
NEW MEMBERS
INDIVIDUAL
Ramon Abajo, New York
Vladimir Aituganov, New Jersey
Linda Andrews, California
Nancy E. Beck, Virginia
Russell Bernabo, Virginia
Stephanie Black, Louisiana
Louise Bradley, Victoria, Australia
Phil Brautigam, Pennsylvania
Samantha Buonaiuto, Connecticut
Richard Christie, Worcestershire,
United Kingdom
Elias Damianakis, Florida
Kelly Gaylord, Florida
Steve Gibson, Louisiana
Karen Jones, California
Eve Kaplan, New York
Vivian Karayianni, Texas
Sally Kenney, Ohio
Carla Kneipp, Florida
Elizabeth LeBlanc, Massachusetts
Damien Lepage, Neuilly-Plaisance, France
Tom Mason, Connecticut
Valeria Martin, Illinois
Simon D. Martinez, Jr, Illinois
Alice Mennitt, Maryland
Nancy Newton, South Carolina
Francine Persak, New Jersey
Maria Lourdes Requena, Massachusetts
Regina Rooney, Colorado
Gary Rotenberger, Pennsylvania
Justin Sachs, New Mexico
Ed Sanders, Montana
Pamela Sawin, New Hampshire
Kent Smith, Colorado
Boris Stipanovic, New York
Craig Wallace, Ontario, Canada
Brooke Young, New York
BUSINESS – SOLE/DUAL
PRACTITIONER
Ilana Lobet, New York
Ilana Lobet Framing Studio
Christina Skonieczny, Alabama
Alexandria Faux Designs
BUSINESS – ENTERPRISE
Victoria Bingham, Virginia
Buon Fresco, LLC
Rhonda Feinman, New York
Rhonda Feinman Custom Frames Inc
Tracy Gill, New York
Gill & Lagodich Fine
Period Frames & Restoration
Jane Henry, New York
Jane Henry Restoration
Gregg Perry, Pennsylvania
L'Atelier De Restauration
Did you know that your
membership includes supplier discount
coupons when you join SOG and when
you renew your membership? Be sure to
take advantage of this great benefit!
Sean Sean McDonough, Wisconsin
Professional Gilders
2 0 0 9 S O G M E M B E R S H I P I N F O R M AT I O N G U I D E
Whether you are a beginner or a professional
gilder, a manufacturer or a supplier, or someone
with a special interest in gold leaf, you are invited
to join the Society of Gilders in any one of the
following categories. Membership is open to
any individual, institution or corporation
for the calendar year January 1 through
December 31.
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP . . $100
• A subscription to The Gilder’s Tip, SOG’s biannual journal of the gilding arts
• A subscription to the SOG e-newsletter for
updates and events
• Discount coupons on purchases of gilding materials from participating corporate members
• Special member discounts on programs offered
through Regional Education
• A 50-character biographical description in the
annual SOG Membership Directory
• Inclusion in the SOG website membership list
• Opportunity to exhibit your work on the
Gilding Gallery web page
• Access to the members-only website discussion Forum
• Volunteer and Internship opportunities at
SOG-related events
• Eligibility to serve as a Trustee for the Society
of Gilders
• One vote in SOG elections
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BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP
Level One: Sole/Dual Practitioner –
Business that consists of 1-2 people . . . . . . $175
Includes All the benefits of an Individual
Membership plus:
• One additional subscription to The Gilder’s Tip
• A 200-character biographical description in
the annual SOG Membership Directory
• Business name and description in the SOG
website membership list
• Link to the website
• One additional vote in SOG elections
BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP
Level Two: Enterprise –
all larger companies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $250
All the benefits of an Individual
Membership plus:
• One additional subscription to The Gilder’s Tip
• A 200-character biographical description in
the annual SOG Membership Directory
• Business name and description in the SOG
website membership list
• Link to the website
• One additional vote in SOG elections
SILVER LEVEL CORPORATE
MEMBERSHIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $800
All the benefits of a Business Membership plus:
• Certificate recognizing Corporate Membership
• Ten subscriptions to The Gilder’s Tip
• Corporate listing in The Gilder’s Tip and on
the website
• Feature article in The Gilder’s Tip and on
the website
• Two additional votes in SOG elections
• Participation in member coupon program
GOLD LEVEL CORPORATE
MEMBERSHIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2000
All the benefits of a Silver Membership plus:
• Corporate exposure at all conventions and
trade shows
• Banner on website
STUDENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50
Requires proof of enrollment
• A subscription to The Gilder’s Tip
• A subscription to the SOG e-newsletter for
updates and events
• Friend listing in The Gilder’s Tip and on
the website
The Society of Gilders is a 501 © (3) tax-exempt organization.
Consult a qualified accountant for deduction information.
Society of Gilders Membership Form
Phone: 507-280-7676, Toll Free: 1-888-991-7676
e-mail: [email protected]
Name: ____________________________________________
Membership
Categories
Company: __________________________________________
❑ Student – $50
Requires proof of enrollment
Primary Contact: ____________________________________
❑ Individual – $100
Address:
❑ Business – $175
Sole/Dual Practitioner-Business
that consists of 1–2 people
__________________________________________
City: __________________ State: ______ Zip: __________
❑ Business – $250
Enterprise – all larger companies
Country: __________________________________________
❑ Corporate Silver – $800
Phone:
❑ Corporate Gold – $2000
__________________ Fax:
__________________
E-Mail: ____________________________________________
Send to: Society of Gilders
P.O. Box 323
Rochester, MN 55903-323
Web: ______________________________________________
Payment Information
❑ Check enclosed (please make check payable to Society of Gilders)
Charge to: Number:
________________________
❑ Master Card
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Expiration: __________ Cardholder Name: ____________________________
Billing Address: ________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Signature: ____________________________________________
Description for membership directory:
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Member Profile: Select areas of expertise/interest from the list below. Your selections will be indicated in the membership
directory and will assist SOG in requests for contact information.
❑ Appraiser
❑ Architect
❑ Architectural Gilding
❑ Ceramicist
❑ Conservator
❑ Decorative Artist
❑ Designer
❑ Educator
❑ Exterior Gilding
❑ Fine Artist
❑ Freelance Gilding
❑ Furniture
❑ Gallery
❑ Gilding Supplies
❑ Glass Gilder
❑ Iconography
❑ Leather Gilding
❑ Library
❑ Manufacturer
❑ Manuscript Illumination
❑ Picture Framing
❑ Retail
❑ Restoration
❑ School
❑ Sculptor
❑ Signage
❑ Studio
❑ Wholesale
❑ Woodcarver
SOG will provide member
contact information to members
of the public requesting referral
information about gilding
services. Please let us know if
you wish to make your
information available:
❑ Yes
❑ No
C O V E R S T O R Y By Gregory Dixon
first day of classes ended with a beautiful reception on Monday evening
at the French ambassador’s residence.
Our host, one of the ambassador’s colleagues,
after the polite diplomatic introductions and
remarks, spoke personally and emotionally about
his experience as he watched the progress and
the final unveiling of the restored gilded dome
of the Les Invalides in Paris. The atmosphere
was elegant, the food and wine delicious, and
the serving staff continued to encourage us to
try more of the homemade foie gras.
Jill London led her three-day Water Gilding
class step by step through the elaborate and
ancient process. It was clear that teaching gilding is a labor of love for Jill, and part of honoring her promise to her teacher, Robert Kulicke,
to pass on and share this knowledge. She spoke
at some length about the amount of misinformation in the literature on water gilding techniques. This subject of misinformation could
be the basis for a very interesting future article
for The Gilder’s Tip.
Michael Gilbert took his class through the
various aspects and steps of Restoring Antique
Gilded Frames. It is truly wonderful to see
objects which have been destroyed by time and
sometimes carelessness made beautiful again by
careful, patient restoration.
Damien Lepage guided his class through the
Technique of Gesso Recutting. Damien lives and
works in Paris and was on a three-month educational exchange program. The techniques used
for gesso recutting involve skills similar to that
of the woodcarver.
Patricia Miranda took her class through the
exquisite and colorful world of Manuscript
Illumination. There is so much to learn in the
world of gilding. As I watched the students work,
memories were evoked of the medieval world of
the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (The
Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry, an illuminated Book of Hours containing prayers.—
ed.) with its knights, ladies and letters.
Miriam Ellner instructed her class on the delicate technique of Verre Églomisé, the decoration of glass by gilding, etching and coloring.
While very different from illumination, verre
églomisé also makes use of rich colors and fine
detail. Miriam’s beautiful panel at the exhibition
at Bill Adair’s studio evoked the elegant atmosphere of a salon in an old Venetian palace.
Smith Colman’s class, The Toning of WaterGilded Surfaces, was enthusiastically attended.
There is a limited supply of old frames, so there
is a demand for the skills needed to make high
quality gilded reproductions look like their rare
antique counterparts.
The
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CONTINUED
Several planned classes- Michael Kramer’s Oil
Gilding, Peter Miller’s Woodcarving for Frames,
Peter Achorn’s Shading Techniques and Gold
Decoration, and Jill London’s Sgraffito Technique- were cancelled because there were not
enough participants. Hopefully the opportunity will come again to learn from these
advanced professionals.
While classes filled our days, evenings were
devoted to lectures. Tuesday evening was devoted
to The Gilded Object: Artistry and Authenticity.
Wednesday evening’s lecture was Monumental
Architectural Gilding Projects. Jeff Greene from
Evergreen Studios and Michael Kramer dizzied
the audience at vertigo heights on New York
skyscrapers and state capitol domes. It became
clear that much experience, testing, research and
experimentation are required to successfully
complete monumental gilding projects. Where
there is failure, it’s most often the substrate, not
the gilding which fails.
Thursday evening’s lecture was devoted to
Glitter and Gold, Restoring Gilded Treasures.
Peter Achorn took us into the world of 18th,
19th and 20th century American fire engines
and their gilded and toned lettering and decoration. An interesting aside was his remark that
a one-hundred-fifty year old 19th century steam
fire engine has the same “fire power” as their 21st
century high tech counterparts.
Ina Brosseau Marx followed, describing with
clarity and precision several case studies of the
restoration process on very fine antique furniture pieces. She made the point that excellently
restored antique furniture, based on sound
research and with good documentation, not only
holds but adds value to the individual pieces.
Marx’s new book is a worthwhile investment
for anyone in the restoration business.
Ina was followed by Steve Wilcox, frame
restorer in residence at the National Gallery in
Washington DC. He talked about the gilding
restoration of a 15th century Sienese painting
by Neroccio de’ Landi. It was interesting to hear
him speak of the experimental process that took
place in this restoration and how they arrived at
the use of wax to recreate the embossed patterns
on some restored gilded areas.
The community project, regilding of the
Second World War Iwo Jima Monument, proceeded well but ran into some challenging
weather. Dedicated members substantially completed it.
Thursday’s S.O.G. board meeting covered a
range of subjects including education, membership, website tweaking, and the New Orleans
church restoration community projects. It
became clear in listening to the discussion that
a few hands are doing most of the work for the
organization. The old but true saying “many
hands make light work” was introduced; this
hopefully will relieve those who are over burdened and encourage others to participate without the fear of being over burdened of which
several newer members expressed. Members were
encouraged to travel to New Orleans over the
Christmas holidays to resume the restoration of
the Saint Alphonsus altarpiece. To help minimize
the cost to prospective traveling members, it was
proposed that willing parishioners be solicited
for accommodations.
The exhibition of members’ gilded works at
Bill Adair’s beautifully arranged studio was very
interesting. The variety and inventiveness was
remarkable. The range from traditional to contemporary was very broad and the quality was
exquisite. One could see that the art and craft
of gilding is not only a business but also a creative activity for members.
At this time of wild banking and investment
news, it was very encouraging to see a very sound
capital investment by one student who came
all the way from Hong Kong to take part in
several classes.
It was interesting and exciting to speak with
Urban J. Meyer of W&B Gold Leaf of Chicago,
and to learn that the ancient craft of gold beating continues in the United States.
Friday evening’s closing reception was a lovely
wrap-up to the week and included a warm thank
you gift to Mr. Peter Sepp for his long time
patronage of the Society of Gilders. Let us hope
in whatever form they may take that these
gatherings of gilders will continue in the future.
The next time you are jetting out of JFK,
look towards Manhattan and you may see the
glittering gold of the Met Life tower. It is said
that ancient Egyptians gilded the tops of
their obelisks. Gregory Dixon is a member of the Society of Gilders
and owner of Corinthian Decorative Finishers, Inc.
in San Francisco, CA. Gregory’s firm offers a wide
range of gilding services and specializes in exterior
residential and civic projects and interiors. Visit
their website at www.corinthianfaux.com.
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F E AT U R E S T O R Y
24kt Gold Leaf on Glass
An experiment of the electrical properties of gilded glass
By Charles Douglas
ccasionally I have requests from those conducting scientific research about the prospect of providing gilding on glass. However, until recently, I didn’t know whether any of
the traditional binders would interfere with the
required electrical conductivity. I recently had the
opportunity to provide gilding of a large glass
beaker despite the unknown suitability of traditional glass gilding techniques. The purpose of
my client’s experiment was to repeat in the laboratory the process by which electricity produces
lightning and to demonstrate that when water
vapor condenses, the condensate is not neutral
but negatively charged.
The first requirement was that the leaf
be 24kt. I chose Manetti double weight purchased through Sepp Leaf Products in New York.
Although gold leaf can be adhered with a variety
of binders including oil size or glair (egg white),
we chose gelatin dissolved in distilled water as
used in verre églomisé. The rationale for the
choice was that the residual binder remaining
on the glass would be minimized with the small
amount of gelatin used. I used four diamonds
of gelatin to 300ml distilled water.
O
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The beaker needed to be gilded on the exterior including the bottom with a 1.5" distance
from the edge of the leaf to the top edge of the
glass. I simply taped off a section of the beaker
1.5" from the edge and gilded the glass upside
down. For maximum coverage I double gilded
the glass to allow for a solid covering of gold.
After carefully packing the beaker with a layer
of Saran Wrap and a multitude of cotton balls,
bubble wrap, and packing peanuts, I sent the
beaker on its way and waited to hear the results
of my client’s project. Here is a brief description
of his experiment.
The electrical properties of the gilded beaker
were better than expected. The gold surface is
used to collect water condensate. Ice water is
put inside the beaker to make the gold surface
cold. Dew forms on the gold if there is enough
humidity. This allows the investigator to demonstrate whether, when water vapor condenses, the
condensate is neutral or negatively charged.
As a gilder, the main finding of interest in this
experiment is that when electrical conductivity
is required, gelatin in distilled water is a successful method of adhering gold leaf to glass. F E AT U R E S T O R Y
A Model of
Napoleon’s Coach,
Receives the Royal Treatment
By Charles Douglas
1931 the General Motors International Craftsman’s Guild was
established by the Fisher Body
Division of General Motors to support
youth craftsmanship. They sponsored a
national contest to build a working scale
model of the royal coach Napoleon and
Princess Marie Louise of Austria rode in
for their wedding.
Judges awarded the two best coach-makers in each state with an all expense paid
trip to Detroit and $50 in each winner’s
pocket. One of those First Place winners
was 15 year old Emmett Day from Texas.
I was very pleased to meet Mr. Day in
his later years and to have the opportunity
to gild this intricately assembled miniature
replica, so painstakingly crafted from blueprints during his youth. Today this Coach
In
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resides in the President’s house at Mr.
Day’s alma mater, Texas A&M University-Commerce.
The Coach had been painted many
years ago. Therefore I chose the oil gilding
method with 24kt Manetti gold leaf. The
existing painted surfaces still provided
appropriate sealing of all wood surfaces so
the oil size would rest on top of the surfaces
to be gilded. Very small brushes were used
to apply the size while equally small pieces
of gold leaf were cut and used to decorate
each element. Extreme care was taken to
avoid staining the velvet cushions and brocade work with the oil size or shellac which
was applied to the leaf to protect against
minimal handling and to add warmth to
the glow of the gold leaf. F E AT U R E S T O R Y
1
Renovation at
St. Alphonsus,
New Orleans, LA
By Anna-Marie Bartlett
2
4
3
had an extra hop, skip and jump in my
step walking back to the hotel after a most
fabulous week of sanding, painting, chatting, gilding, learning, laughing and learning
some more.
There is no way to express enough gratitude
to every single gilder I’ve met so far and I feel so
blessed to have had a chance to spend time with
you all.
Since I’ve started this journey of trying to
learn about gilding in Savannah, Georgia, I met
gilders from all walks of life. What a rare and
unusual bunch of people, with so much flare!
I found it isn’t just the rabbit skin glue that
keeps them connected, but they are all members
of the Society of Gilders. This is probably one of
the top discoveries I’ve made in life. Thank you
guys for accepting a green beginner, patiently
answering all my questions, guiding me through
the process and sharing your valuable tips. I’m
all excited about this new venture and quite curious to find more South African gilders out there.
Special thank you to the Society of Gilders
and all who were involved, to organize such
a cool community project in New Orleans.
We all made new friends, learned a lot and had
much fun while we were able to contribute to
the community. I
1 Church Interior
2 Jorge and Riccardo Jimenez
5
3 Naomi Lipsky, Micki Cavanah, Matt Plaisance
Peter Miller and Gregory Dixon at the
State museum
4 Completed and re-assembled
5 This is the back of one of the columns flanking
the main altar revealing the bole underneath the
original watergilding dating from the 1850’s.
Our investigation showed a tremendous amount
of watergilding on the architectural ornamentation of the church, almost all of which had
been painted over with oil gilded highlights
added, likely during the 1950’s.
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I N M E M O R I A M By Peter Cannon-Brooke
In Memory of Paul Levi:
Framemaker and dealer expert in traditional techniques
P
aul Levi played a pivotal role in the transformation of picture framing in the decades following the Second World War.
He was taught by the gifted Czech-born picture framer F.A. Pollak, who, along with the art
historian Johannes Wilde and the collector Count
Antoine Seilern, encouraged him to study antique
frames and the techniques that had been used to
produce them. Until his retirement in 1996, Levi
made a wide range of frames faithfully based on
historic models for public and private clients,
including for many of the greatest art collections
of Europe and North America.
Paul Levi was born in Leipzig in 1919, the
only son of the mathematician Friedrich Levi.
His family left Germany in 1935 when his father,
who was of Jewish ancestry, was barred from
teaching. Friedrich emigrated to India with his
wife and one of his daughters. Paul’s other sister,
Charlotte, went to the United States to join her
mother’s cousin, the physicist and later Nobel
laureate Hans Bethe.
Separated from his family, the 16-year-old
Levi was sent to England and Blundell’s School
in Devon. There he developed a great interest
in carving and architecture, and won a BBC
Listener schools’ prize for sculpture. Following
the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940,
Levi, as a German national, was interned on the
Isle of Man. There he became friendly with other
“enemy aliens,” including Johannes Wilde, later
deputy director of the Courtauld Institute, the
future chemistry laureate Max Perutz and the
mathematician Hermann Bondi. Subsequently
he was sent to Canada.
Many of the internees in both locations developed quasi-university environments in the camps
and, although small comfort, Levi found the
lectures intellectually very stimulating. The main
language was, not surprisingly, German, and this
I N D E X O F A DV E RT I S E R S
reinforced Levi’s cultural heritage after two years
at an English public school. In 1941 he was
brought back from Canada and put to work as
an agricultural labourer in East Anglia.
Soon after the end of the war he met the artist
and frame-maker F.A. Pollak, and from around
1948, began collecting examples of antique
frames. A week spent in Holland in 1949 with
a Courtauld Institute group was a revelation. He
recognized that 16th-century Dutch frames could
be dated precisely from the profiles of their
mouldings when compared to a sequence of fixed
points provided by dated paintings retaining
their original frames. This systematic approach
was to provide the bedrock for Levi’s subsequent
career, and in 1950 he set up his own workshop.
Levi also dealt in antique frames, because
some clients preferred original frames adapted
for their pictures. Consequently his collection
was constantly evolving. Even today, when superb
colour photography is routinely available, any
frame-maker wishing to create top quality picture frames in historic styles must have access
to real examples of the finest quality.
The intellectual approach adopted by Levi was
one based on connoisseurship, at a time when
the Modern movement increasingly dominated
public museums and galleries. Franco Albini’s
decision, in 1950–51, to strip the frames from
the Old Master paintings exhibited in the Palazzo
Bianco in Genoa and display them naked against
white walls represented the triumph of a very
different aesthetic. Collectors such as Antoine
Seilern and Sir Brinsley Ford adhered to traditional values, and employed Levi regularly, but
few public collections followed their examples
before the late 1970s.
The reframing of Dutch 17th-century paintings into black ripple moulding frames is becoming commonplace today; it was Levi who first
reconstructed the machine required to cut those
ripple mouldings. One of Levi’s greatest successes
was not achieved until after his retirement, and
then in collaboration with a former protégé,
William Adair, in Washington. Levi had, in
1967, purchased a huge Italian polyptych frame
dating from c1490; in 1992 he sent it to Adair
in that hope that he might be able to find the
paintings it once contained and reunite them.
Eventually, research revealed that the frame,
purchased in 1884, was deaccessioned by the
V&A in 1967, that it once contained 11 paintings by Filippo Mazzola, and that they had
formed an altarpiece in the church of Santa
Maria delle Grazie at Cortemaggiore in Italy.
Due to Levi’s recognition of the outstanding
quality of the orphan components when seen
dissembled in London, and the researches of
Adair, the reassembled polyptych is now back in
Cortemaggiore. Levi’s role and generosity in
donating it were recognized by the Italian
state in 2003 when he was awarded the rank
of Cavaliere. From right to left: Monsignor Luigi Ghidoni,
prelate Cortemaggiore ,Paul Levi, Corrado Sforza
Fogliani, President, Bank of Piacenza… and
Bill Adair.
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The Gold Leaf Company . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover
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United Manufacturers Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
W & B Goldleaf / Wehrung & Billmeier . . . . . . . . . 14
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