Koftgari - genuine vs. fake

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by ariel

Maybe I just do not get it:
OK, they cross-hatched, applied gold paint , and then? They had to wipe off the unneeded paint to preserve thin, uniform, precise lines, right?
How was it done? Scraping off dried gold paint would leave behind uneven lines, no matter what.

Am I missing something?

Hello Ariel,

The process is simple:

1. make the cross-hatches so that the paint adheres to the surface
2. with tiny (and I mean really tiny) brushes paint the desired pattern
3. let it dry
4. finished.

Now why would there be unwanted paint to be scraped when it is painted exactly the pattern that is needed (thin, fine and precise)?

It is like painting a miniature work just it is much easier because you have only one colour and the detail is not that small (in miniature painting I have seen artists in Udaipur using brushes with one or two hairs).

However, since the gold paint is rather thick, the precision of the design is not very good. Just have a look at the Tulwar hilt that I mentioned (that I can bet it is painted) and try to imagine yourself painting it with a precise brush and a steady hand.