May 20, 2026
The work begins long before the first line. Handmade paper is primed and burnished until the surface is dense and smooth.
The master then lays in a fine drawing and builds up the background and figures with mineral paints — lapis lazuli, malachite, cinnabar. Gilding finishes the sheet: thin leaves of gold are laid on a glue base and polished.
This is why a miniature glows from within — light reflects off the gold through the translucent layers of paint.
