The beauty of intangible cultural heritage gold foil, an encounter with a thousand-year memory

Origin and development of gold foil painting:

Gold foil painting, as an intangible cultural heritage, has a profound historical background.
Archaeological discoveries show that the Nile River Basin in ancient Egypt was one of the earliest regions to produce gold foil, and bronze ware decorated with thin gold foil was also found in the cultural relics unearthed in Sanxingdui in China. As early as the Neolithic Age more than 5,000 years ago, gold foil products had appeared.
In China, gold foil is a traditional Chinese handicraft. It originated in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and matured in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. After thousands of years of precipitation, it carries the efforts and wisdom of countless craftsmen and is a treasure of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation.

Gold foil production process:

The ancient method of making gold foil requires twelve processes. First, the gold is purified, and then it is hammered to become a gold leaf with an area of 2.5 square centimeters. Then it is sandwiched in black gold paper smoked with kerosene, and then hammered by hand for 6-8 hours to make the gold leaf into foil, with an area equivalent to about 40 times that of the gold leaf, and then cut into squares.
The characteristics of pure color, uniform thickness, and long-term color change are a symbol of wealth and splendor.
In this extreme pursuit, we can feel the exquisite skills and ingenuity of ancient craftsmen.
This is also the reason why gold foil paintings are expensive.

Production of gold leaf painting:
Gold leaf painting has unique artistic value and charm.
Its production requires exquisite skills and patience. Through special techniques, various elements can be cleverly integrated to form a unique picture effect. Its production process is roughly divided into four steps: "painting", "coating", "pasting", and "sweeping".