Why gold was used in art for centuries

The history of gilding in painting stretches back thousands of years.

Long before the development of modern materials, artists were using gold to create images that carried both visual power and cultural significance.

Some of the most influential examples emerged from Byzantine art. Gold backgrounds were used to depict a reality beyond ordinary experience.

Rather than functioning as decoration, gold became another layer in the meaning of an artwork.

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Illuminated medieval manuscripts

During the medieval period, gilding appeared extensively in religious paintings and illuminated manuscripts.

Artists used gold to draw attention to important figures and create works that reflected light within candlelit interiors.

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Gilding during the Renaissance

Renaissance painters continued many of these traditions before gradually shifting toward greater naturalism and illusionistic space.

They extended the use of gilded surfaces to decorative elements and architectural details.

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Gold in the 1900s and contemporary art

Gold experienced another major revival through artists such as Gustav Klimt, whose work demonstrated that gilding could remain relevant within modern art.

Today, contemporary artists continue to reinterpret these traditions in ways that address current social, cultural, and philosophical questions.

In David Roman’s art, gilding carries that history forward. He lays genuine gold leaf by hand over gesso and hand-built relief, using methods taken from icon-making, and sets it in figures from myth and symbolism. The original of The Alchemist, shown above, is gilded in 24ct gold leaf.