Silver powder

Description

1) Powdered metallic silver mixed with a gum binder and used for silver gilding. It is covered with a varnish to prevent tarnishing. Also called shell silver.

2) A silver colored powder composed of bismuth, tin, and mercury used for decorative finishes (Bucher 1996).

Synonyms and Related Terms

shell silver

Additional Information

W. Bucher, Dictionary of Building Preservation, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1996.

Authority

• R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 724

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996