gilder:
(plural: ‘gilders‘; pronunciation: the letter ‘g’ rhymes with the letter ‘g’ in the word “garden”)
Zuo Xiaoming, gilder (artist), Regong Art, Tibet
a person, craftsman or artist who gives an overlay (covering) of gold or gilt to a statue or object or some painting;
(old usage) a person whose job is to give an overlay (covering) of gold or gilt to a cheap metal so that it looks real gold and very expensive;
a person who decorates or tries to improve something in order to cheat others;
a person who unnecessarily decorates something that is already beautiful,
a master gilder at work
A gilder in the past was much respected for his art and the payment he got because only the rich and affluent people afforded gilding their houses, and the more efficient the gilder was, the grander a building or art work looked.
Like their ancient predecessors, gilders in the present use gold leaves, sheets of gold much thinner than an ordinary paper made by repeatedly hand-beaten by craftsmen called ‘gold beaters’.
There are several groups and associations these days that strive to keep up the good old craft of gilding by giving advise and training to many gilders.
Benson is a real gilder; at every festival time, he pretends to be decorating the house all by himself but only after his wife and children have done the job well.
My friend warned me of the gilders in this market place who cheat visitors by selling simple ordinary things as old and rare artefacts.
