Leather

There can also be formed relief on different supports like leather. The relief can be achieved in the height (embossed leather) or in the depth (with punches). Leather can also be painted. Other techniques can be boiled leather, scorched leather (to achieve a damast effect on the leather) or flock prints on leather. Organic material is than glued on the leather.

painted gilded leather without embossing

The size layer is applied on the leather to glue the silver leafs on. The silver leafs were afterwards burnished. An isolation layer of egg white was applied on top of the silver leaf to prevent it from oxidation. The gold lacquer that was used here was handmade. It was applied with a brush. Then the drawing was applied on the lacquer. The painting was executed with oil paint. When the oil paint is fully dried, a varnish layer will be applied on top of it. It consist mainly of resins with a yellow appearance.

1 support:leather 2 size layer:parchment glue 3 silver leaf 4 egg white 5 gold lacquer 6 painting in oil paint 7 varnish

painting on the gold lacquer

Gilded embossed leather

To obtain embossed leather you need a mould. The material of the mould can be wood (for example pear wood) and sometimes metal. The kind of leather that was used for the leather hangings varies between the region and examples. In our regions mostly leather of cows and calfs were used, while in other countries the leather of sheeps also could be used. The leather support is than covered with glue (parchment glue and sometimes egg white). Next the silver leafs were transferred on to the glue to cover the leather supports. The silver leafs were then burnished. After this, a layer of egg white or glue (parchment glue) was applied on top of the silver leafs to avoid the oxidation (and blackening of the silver leafs).  After that the gold lacquer was applied on top of it before it was pressed into the mould. In this reconstruction the leather was pressed into the mould by hammering on a sandbag that was laid on the backside of the leather. (Only because there was no press available). The embossed leather was afterwards placed on a stretcher.  Usually the gilded  leather is run through a press with a contramal on the back to achieve the embossed leather. The gold lacquer consists of oil that was boiled combined wit resins that have a yellow appearance. Sometimes things like saffron were added to enrich the colour of the gold lacquer. The god lacquer was mostly applied with the hands mainly to avoid brush strokes. For the reconstruction a brush with soft hairs was used to bring up the gold lacquer. The gold lacquer consists of several layers. The gold lacquer was also a way to imitate gold.  After the lacquer has dried, the painting often leather could begin. A s a final step a varnish was applied on top of it.  

pressing the gilded leather in the mould

1 wood (woodcut) 2 gold lacquer 3 egg white 4 silver leaf 5 parchment glue 6 leather

when the leather is taken of from the mould

1 support: leather 2 parchment glue 3 silver leaf 4 egg white 5 gold lacquer 6 painting 7 varnish layer

leather and wooden mould

leather covered with silver leaf that has been burnished and that will be covered with a layer of egg white

leather that is hammered bit by bit with a sandbag into the wooden mould

gilded embossed leather

painting of the embossed gilded leather

cuir bouilli

Cuir bouilli or boiled leather was a technique were leather was soaked in cold or hot water and bubbles would come to the top what reminds a little to the boiling of water. After the leather is cooked it can't be moistened again. Cuir bouilli was used to cover little caskets or for armory (helmets,armour,handles,..). It could be polychromed to with metal leafs (silver or gold leaf) and painted with a limited colour palette (for example vermillion, blue, green). The details and forms were graved in the leather with instruments with a sharp end (like needles and chisels). A reconstruction was tried of this technique. The leather used was soaked in water for several hours and indeed the bubbling came up. Maybe in further experiments the leather could be soaked longer to see what the difference might be.

soaking of the leather in water boiled leather with relief in height

gilding parts of the leather painting the leather

end result