4th grade students illustrating a tale written in class. The work was done on a “Rives” paper. The children were taught how to place the gold leaf on a liquid glue base and how to do tempera painting.

I welcome students at the workshop between 9 and 17 years of age (12 children per group at most).

From an existing pattern ( flowery bookmark, bestiary or Celtic initial), the children are taught how to use pigments by mixing them with egg yolk. Flat and raised pictorial patterns are introduced in order to give relief to a design. Children go home with their own production.

The session lasts between one and two hours. As an introduction to it, a presentation of illumination and traditional materials is given. A demonstration of gold leaf setting is done for a 2 hour session only.

The work is carried out on a 250 g “Rives tradition” off-white paper or on 160 g parchment paper (Pergamenata). This session can be part of the “Discovery routes” program of 7th graders.

1 hour: € 8 per child.
1 and a half hour: € 12 per child.
2 hours: € 14.50 per child.

Additional fee of € 4 per session, per child for working on parchment (2 hour sessions only)
Free for one accompanying adult per group.




A one hour demonstration can also be set up.

· Word origin
· Various steps of the creation of an illuminated manuscript
· How is parchment made?
· The setting of the base and of the 22 carat gold leaf
· Tempera painting; origin and making of the pigments
· Question and answers time

At the workshop or at the school.

Fee: € 45.
For an of out-of-town session (no further than 50 km away from Montmorillon for this type of session), please add a cost of €. 0,35 per km.

Tarif : 45 €

A multi-session class in a school can be organised (je ne mentionne pas les PAC, qui sont de reference française). Ask for an estimate at
[email protected]
As an example, a 24-hour project (8 3-hour sessions) was implemented from November 2002 to January 2003 at the Agriculture and Horticulture High School in Thuré, near Châtellerault in a partnership with one of the teachers, Sonia Chaimbault, on the theme of “Bestiary in the Châtellerault region”. The participating 9th graders designed a bestiary from sculptures, frontispieces and gargoyles of local churches, reproduced them on parchment, set the raised gilding glue, the 22 carat gold leaf, and the did tempera paint. Each and every student was able to make his/her own original creation and acquired new skills.