Gilding Enriched Ornaments.
The description which has been given of the process with reference to the mouldings used by the paper-hanger will also apply to most other articles with which the gilder is concerned. But in proportion to the elaborate nature of the article must be the care bestowed by the gilder. This particularly applies in the case of an elegant carved looking-glass frame.
The richly ornamented frames, window-cornices, mouldings, &c., which form a great part of the work of the gilder, are in general not carved in wood, but are cast in moulds, and are made of a tough and durable composition formed principally of glue and whiting. The ornaments, when cast, are fixed on wood frame-work or foundation, and in that state pass into the hands of the gilder. His mode of treating them is somewhat different from that required by a straight plain piece of moulding:—the material itself does not require so many layers of whiting and size as those articles which are made wholly of wood; and the difficulty of smoothing intricate and ornamental surfaces renders many precautions necessary.
Sometimes the cornice of a room, or a portion of it, and also the central ornament of the ceiling, are gilt. This is generally done in oil gold; and as the material of which they are made, viz., plaster of Paris, very much resembles whiting, scarcely any of the last-mentioned substance is required to be applied by the gilder.
We may here state, in connexion with what has been said about gilt mouldings for rooms, that the paper-hanger fixes them to the wall by means of broken needles, or headless brittle needles made for the purpose. The pieces of moulding are cut to the required length, and mitred, so as to join accurately at the corner; after which they are fastened to the wall by driving in some of the needles at distances of two or three feet.