During this masterclass, you’ll dive into the rich world of late Gothic pressed brocade. You will create your own brocade sheet based on a 15th-century example and discover how luxurious silk fabrics woven with gold and silver threads were once imitated in relief.

Step by step, you’ll learn to work with an engraved mould and tin foil to create a refined textile relief. You will then gild the surface with gold leaf and finish it with transparent or opaque pigment layers in deep red, green, or blue tones. Through hatching and painting techniques, you will recreate the shimmering effect of woven gold threads. You will work with authentic materials and professional tools provided for the workshop. At the end of the day, you will take home your own pressed brocade sheet – a tangible result of an age-old craft technique.

This masterclass is offered by the Academie Beeldende & Audiovisuele Kunsten Anderlecht.

In the Polychromie studio at the Academie Beeldende & Audiovisuele Kunsten Anderlecht (ABKA), you will explore historical painting and decorative techniques in all their richness. You will learn traditional methods such as gilding and silvering with metal leaf, and employ techniques including pastiglia, pressed brocade, sgraffito, punchwork, and gemstone imitation.

You will develop the skills not only to execute these decorative finishes, but also to recognise, analyse, and reproduce them. Within the studio, you can specialise in heritage conservation and restoration, or choose a contemporary route where the focus is on experimentation and personal visual language. Throughout your learning process, you will build a personal portfolio documenting all technical steps, material research, and artistic development.

Sandy van Wissen (1968) works in various roles within the cultural heritage sector in Belgium. She is hands-on involved in the conservation, research, and restoration of polychromed sculpture at a federal non-profit institution in Brussels.

In addition, she works part-time as a lecturer in Kunstambacht Polychromie, where both historical and contemporary decorative techniques are taught, and she also serves as Pedagogical Coordinator. The programme is offered as part-time education in Anderlecht.