Artisan Color, One Layer at a Time - Remodelista
Pedro da Costa Felgueiras, a lacquer and historic paint techniques specialist known as London’s “custodian of old techniques," explains the application of verdigris glaze; a slow and careful process of building up many layers of transparent glaze on top of a solid paint coat. As evident in Greek and Roman literature, the preparation of verdigris, made from the copper salts of the weathered metal that has been exposed to either acetic acid or salt, has been around since the antiquities. "The final result is like no other bluish green you might ever come across," da Costa Felgueiras says. "A recipe from a Florentine book even suggests applying it on glass, although I'm not quite sure how effective this might have been as a protection from sunshine," says da Costa Felgueiras. "When I buy the ingredients for such a finish, the base material consists of a highly viscous transparent green resin paste that needs to be warmed up in a 'bain marie' in order to render it liquid; it then it has to be mixed with a little fir turpentine to allow it to flow again to produce a thin and even coat," da Costa Felgueiras says. Needless to say, it is quite a tricky glaze to apply." In the restoration of Horace Walpole's Gothic Castle, Strawberry Hill, founder of Lacquer Studios Pedro da Costa Felgueiras applied the verdigris glaze to a built-in cabinet designed by Walpole to display his fine china collection. Pedro da Costas Felgueras demonstrates the slow application of verdigris glaze; layer by layer.