for applying fine
gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of
gold. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, it was traditionally
silver in the West, to make
silver-gilt (or
vermeil) objects, but
gilt-bronze is commonly used in China, and also called
ormolu if it is Western. Methods of gilding include hand application and glueing, chemical gilding, and
electroplating, the last also called
gold plating.
[1] Parcel-gilt (partial gilt) objects are only gilded over part of their surfaces. This may mean that all of the inside, and none of the outside, of a
chalice or similar vessel is gilded, or that patterns or images are made up by using a combination of gilt and un-gilt areas.
