gold leaf

gold leaf, extremely thin sheet of gold (about 0.1 micrometre, or 4 millionths of an inch, thick) used for gilding. Medieval illuminated manuscripts gleam with gold leaf, and it is still widely used for gilding ornamental designs, lettering and edgings on paper, wood, ceramics, glass, textiles, and metal.

The process of pounding fine gold into leaf is known as goldbeating and has undergone little change since antiquity. It begins with a small ingot, cast from gold alloyed with small amounts of silver and copper, that is rolled into a long ribbon having a thickness of only about 0.025 mm (0.001 inch). The ribbon is then cut up into squares about 3 cm (1.3 inches) on a side, and these are placed between sheets of heavy paper and enclosed in a sheepskin; they are then hammered until the squares are 10 cm (4 inches) on a side. Each square is then cut into four equal parts, repacked between parchment, and beaten again, with the process repeated successively until the leaves of gold have been reduced to a thickness of about 0.001 mm. They are then trimmed to squares of about 8.5 cm (3.4 inches) on a side and are put in book form between sheets of tissue paper; each book contains 25 gold leaves, which are so delicate that they can be moved or straightened with a light breath.