The gold beater and the pure gold leaf

The most ancient craft activities.

Venice has always been the cradle of many craft activities, including the processing and use of pure gold leaf, perfect for embellishing palaces and churches, objects and artefacts such as frames and mirrors, headboards and canopies, many carnival masks, furniture and ceilings, but also used to decorate parade ships such as the Bucintoro, built in 1731.


The Gilders or gold beater, as the artisans who practice this art are called, are handed down from generation to generation the secrets of the trade; if the eighteenth century was the century that saw the maximum flowering with the presence of many shops in Venice, the economic crises that hit the Serenissima during the nineteenth century greatly reduced its presence, fortunately still today we find those with passion and love continues the business.



The processing involves the use of plaster, clay, egg white, isinglass and a lot of passion, if you are lucky enough to see one of the craftsmen at work, you will be enchanted.