Thomas Donahue's contemporary sculptures are the perfect props for displaying Tiffany's exquisite jewelry at their New York City flagship store.

When Thomas asked us to apply palladium leaf to eighty-seven forms, we felt he deserved a perfect oil gilding job to showcase the smooth-surfaced beauty of his elegantly minimal sculptures.

Since palladium is more expensive than gold, we did not want to waste a single leaf; each form was mapped for perfect leaf application. Next we created a dust-free environment where the leaf could be hand- applied without our fingers touching the surface. 		 
 

Four thousand years ago, Egyptians pinned sheets of gold on bitumen- prepared wood to create the illusion of solid gold. These treasures are believed to be the earliest examples of OIL GILDING, the application of micron-thin metal leaves to varnish- coated surfaces. Clean tools and careful attention to surface preparation, size formulas, and climate reward the patient oil gilder with glowing results.

The smooth, shimmering results were worth our careful planning.
Thomas stops
by our studio.