Ĩ In summary, the common layer structure -from bottom to top- of the applied brocade is the following: 1. The common practice when working with juxtaposed brocades is to gild and paint the tin leaf once the desired surface of the artwork has been completely covered with the brocades whereas with isolated brocades they are gilded before their application onto the artwork and once applied they are painted 9. 9 Serck-Dewaide, M., “The history and conservation of the surface coating on European gilded-wood obj (.)ħ Generally, the tin leaf is gilded with gold leaf using a mordant (constituted by diverse mixtures of resin, oil -typically linseed-, animal glue, egg, chalk and colour pigments) and next, the flat areas are painted with opaque paints or glazes (red, blue, green, black and white) to stand out the motif of the brocade.Rarely, juxtaposed applied brocades are held in place with no adhesive layer 8. Only isolated patterns are applied over drying colour glazes that act as an adhesive. Both juxtaposed and isolated brocade motifs can be adhered to the surface of the artwork with adhesive composed of wax, resin, oil, animal glue, chalk and pigments in different combinations. An isolated decoration consists of isolated pieces (isolated applied brocade) cut following the shapes of the patterns to create random decorations 7. A juxtaposed decoration implies a straight cut of the tin leaf to create a regular pattern (juxtaposed applied brocade) that when put side by side gives a continuous decoration. A., “White and golden tin foil in applied relief decoration: 1240-1530”, dans Looking th (.)Ħ Once the filling material is almost dried, the tin leaf is separated from the mould and is prepared following a different procedure whether it is a juxtaposed or isolated decoration. 7 Rodriguez López, A., Análisis y clasificación de los brocados aplicados de los retablos de Guipúzco (.).
These materials are: wax (usually beeswax), resin, oil (like linseed), honey, animal glue, egg white, chalk, gypsum, plaster of Paris, paper bibers, tin leaf flakes and colour pigments 6. The gaps left in the tin leaf are filled with a semi-liquid material that according to the written sources show a wide variety of materials that form the basis for the different mixtures. Afterwards, the tin leaf is placed on top of the mould and is covered with flax fibres or similar to absorb the beating of a mallet with which the tin leaf is pressed into the mould. The most likely materials for the mould would be wood (a hard wood), metal (like lead) and stone. The creation of the mould by engraving the motif, including details such as the threads of the textile brocade, defines the first stage of the process. 6 Serck-Dewaide, M., “The history and conservation of the surface coating on European gilded-wood obj (.)ĥ Several publications provide thorough descriptions of the stages that the old artisans followed to obtain this painted relief decoration 5.J., “Brocado aplicado: fuentes escritas, materiales y técnicas de ejecución,” da (.) The latter is providing insight into the attribution of the altarpieces and the dispersal of the artistic practice of the applied brocade in the Basque Country and nearby areas.Ģ The precursor techniques of the applied brocade, its construction procedure based on bibliography and analysed examples, and a review of the documentation on Spanish cases with a brief description of their historical background and location put into context the previous corpus of information. Stylistic examination of the patterns located in the wooden altarpieces of Gipuzkoa, Araba and Bizkaia has led to a broader knowledge of the designs in the Basque Country and has enabled the finding of repeated patterns. The analytical results stemmed from the six early sixteenth century altarpieces with applied brocade of Gipuzkoa have been completed with other techniques proved particularly useful for the study of some materials of the applied brocades. Instigated by the lack of in-depth studies in Spain, the first extensive research on applied brocade has been carried out as a European PhD 1. 1 Rodriguez López, A., Análisis y clasificación de los brocados aplicados de los retablos de Guipúzco (.)ġ Applied brocade, more accurately described as applied tin-relief brocade, is found in Spain on a variety of art and specifically, in the North prevails on wooden altarpieces.