Gold beating

Goldbeating in the UK has a rich history, though it has disappeared as an industry due to the advent of mechanised processes and global competition. Traditionally, goldbeating was a meticulous craft carried out by skilled artisans who hammered gold into ultra-thin sheets, known as gold leaf, for use in gilding and decorative arts. The craft played a significant role in Britain during the 17th and 18th centuries when gilding was widely used to embellish furniture, picture frames, religious artefacts, and architectural details. The labour-intensive process involved repeatedly hammering gold into thinner and thinner sheets using specialized tools, often by hand.

The application of gold leaf is still taught in gilding courses across the UK, ensuring that the skills required to handle and apply this delicate material are not lost to time.

• Foreign competition: The UK monumental mason market (the biggest market) was swamped with imported Chinese leaf, cheaper than it was possible to supply UK-beaten gold.
• Foreign competition: Gold beating is essentially a hands-on craft and labour is significantly cheaper in China.
• Recruitment issues: W Habbersley Meadows Ltd, the last UK gold beater, tried for some years to recruit an apprentice some years before but found that no-one was willing to take on the long learning process and stick at it.
• Market issues: The market for gold leaf has declined in recent years. Pub signs were one of the largest users of gold leaf but many pubs have either closed or have had a makeover (the makeovers don’t tend to include gold pub signs, or notices painted in gold on windows by signwriters). Gravestones, another market, have got smaller and so fewer have gold text. The monumental mason market has also declined.

Former craftspeople:

• W Habberley Meadows Ltd – based in Birmingham. The last gold beaters in the UK, stopped beating several years ago rendering the craft extinct in the UK. Today, Habberley Meadows supply gold leaf but do not beat it themselves.

Traditional goldbeating is still practiced in Europe, though it has become increasingly rare. Notably, in Venice, Italy, the Menegazzo family continues this ancient craft. Marino Menegazzo, along with his family, operates one of the world’s last traditional goldbeating workshops, producing gold leaf by hand.

In addition to individual artisans, several European companies maintain the goldbeating tradition:

• Giusto Manetti Battiloro (Florence, Italy): A historic company that has been producing gold leaf since the 17th century, combining traditional craftsmanship with modern technology.
  Giusto Manetti Battiloro
• Gerstendörfer GmbH (Schwabach, Germany): Established in 1843, this manufacturer offers genuine gold and silver leaf, continuing a long-standing tradition of goldbeating.
  Gerstendörfer
• Eytzinger GmbH (Schwabach, Germany): Since 1867, Eytzinger has been producing gold leaf, flakes, and related products, upholding the goldbeating craft in Germany.
  Eytzinger Blattgold

Furthermore, in Austria, the centuries-old handcrafting technique of gold leaf production is practiced by only two remaining goldbeating workshops.

• British Pathe, Gold Beating [1959]