A decorative technique for applying a thin layer of gold to the surface of an object made of metal, wood, ceramic, glass, ivory or stone. Gilding gives an object the appearance of gold at a small fraction of the cost of solid gold. Methods of gilding include cold gilding (attaching gold leaf with adhesives), hot gilding (using a gold-mercury amalgam), electro-chemical gilding and electroplating. Video here. Web resource here.
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (detail). Gilded wood. Korea. Goryeo period. Ca. 1220-1285. National Museum of Korea, Seoul.