Iconography: gilding decoration with graffiti and punching

Gilding decoration of the Icon of the Virgin Hodegetria. The iconographer first performs graffiti decoration using a pointed burnisher; the tip of the burnisher is made of an agate stone. At a later time, punches are made using a steel punch.
This type of processing is possible only because galding was executed with the ancient gouache technique, which gives a sufficiently hard, but at the same time elastic, base which prevents the gold leaf from breaking. The gold leaf is 24kt gold.
The gilding is made with burnished parts, while other parts are left opaque. Semi-precious stones are inlayed in this particular Icon.