Water gilding : The act, or the process, of gilding metallic surfaces by covering them with a thin coating of amalgam of gold, and then volatilizing the mercury by heat; -- called also wash gilding.

Example:


Taxonomy
water gilding, gold leaf, art, burnishing, fine art, Gallery, picture frame, application, antique restoration, art dates, art form, gesso, bole, Leaf Designs, one-of-a-kind, gilded, gold leaf frames, mirrors.

Defination from the web:
water gilding ... THE ART OF WATER GILDING. Agate burnishing of a Rococo portrait frame ... The oldest method of applying gold leaf is that of water gilding, an art form as much as it is a process. ...