Sarah Goss

Sealing the cornice

A brand new plaster cornice, taken from a cast of the original Victorian cornice, was affixed in place but had not been sealed. As plaster is such a porous material, it would suck the moisture out of any paint applied directly onto it causing it to flake off if it isn't sealed first.

Applying the gold

After much experimenting, I had worked out that the best match was to use a mixture of two different bronze powders (Middle gold and Rich pale gold). This was then mixed with gilt wax medium and applied to the cornice.

Alternative view of the gold cornice

The final finish

After the gold was applied and allowed to dry, I then applied a white wash which consisted of scumble glaze, white pigment and burnt umber paint.