Gilt Technique in Ancient China

Gilt technique in ancient China is a metal surface processing technology in which gold is plated by applying gold amalgam, also called fire gilding or mercury gilding. The gilt technology began in China in the Warring States Period (476–221 BC) and flourished in the Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 220). In the Han Dynasty, it was called “Gold Coating” or “Yellow Coating.” Gilt is to coat the gold amalgam, which is the combination of gold and mercury, on the surface of copper (silver), which is then heated to evaporate the mercury, so that the gold adheres to the surface of the object and does not fall off. If silver amalgam is used as the raw material, the process is called gilt silver.

The record of gold amalgam first appeared in the Book of Changes for Contract Verificationby Wei Boyang, an alchemist in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Tao Hong**g of the Southern Dynasties (AD 420–589) recorded the technique of gilding: “Mercury… can merge gold and silver and make them clay. People use them for...