Description
Gold leaf on hot glass is already used in the Hellenistic and Roman eras and becomes quite common in Venice from the 15th century. Today it is used everywhere.
Square foil of very thin gold or silver leaf is laid out on a metal surface, protected on three sides so that air currents, even soft ones, curl it up. The glass worker rolls the incandescent solid or blown glass on top, so that one or more leaves get attached around the outside wall. By expanding the object by blowing, the gold or silver leaves break-up into a sort of dust.
The surface is often covered with another layer of transparent glass. If silver leaf is not covered, it burnishes.
