EMF - Previous Meetings

Amalgam gilding on medieval iron and steel

Kilian Anheuser (Cardiff University)

Two different techniques for fire-gilding on iron were known in medieval Europe. Those were immersion copper plating and foil silvering of the iron, followed in both instances by the application of gold amalgam over the copper or silver layer similar to gilding a solid copper or silver object. The copper plating technique, although described in detail in medieval manuscripts such as the Mappae Clavicula as early as the 9th century, has so far only been identified on 16th century gilded plate armour but not yet on any earlier objects. This gap of several hundred years between literary sources and material evidence must be explained by thenot yet on any earlier objects. This gap of several hundred years between literary sources and material evidence must be explained by the relative rarity of medieval gilded iron on the whole and the lack of technical investigations in the past.

Fire-gilding over silver foil on iron was described by the german monk and master craftsman Theophilus in the early 12th century. There is only a single known example of contemporary objects, a gilded pair of spurs from Berlin-Spandau, which was decorated precisely as explained by Theophilus. At present no other examples for the use of the silver foil technique are known. The technical investigation of early fire-gilding on iron can therefore be expected to hold further surprises for the future.