The term is originally from France where it has become synonymous with gilded glass. Thus verre is glass + an églomisé comes from Glomy, which is the last name of an 18th-century Parisian picture-framer. Verre églomisé is a process in which the back side of glass is gilded with gold or metal leaf.
Through a processes, the metal is adhered using a gelatin adhesive, which results in a mirror-like, reflective finish. The metal leaf may be applied using oil-based adhesives to achieve a matte finish. Alternatively, the gilding may be combined with reverse painting on glass.
The technique creates rich, shimmering and beautifully reflective pieces of artwork.
There are many variants of the technique, most of them are extremely complex and time-consuming, but as always there are ways of simplifying the process.
