artist portrait
Goud-atelier van Soest
Master craftsman preserving the Dutch gilded-leather tradition
Sebastiaan van Soest (Netherlands) is one of the last remaining masters of the historic Dutch gilded-leather tradition — a craft once used in royal residences, churches and monumental interiors throughout Europe.
His work is defined by precision, patience and deep respect for heritage.
The collection
Working entirely by hand, Van Soest uses carved wooden tools, traditional pigments and pure silver leaf to create richly textured panels. His practice continues a lineage of craftsmanship dating back centuries, transforming gilded leather into contemporary artistic expression.
His work is defined by precision, patience and deep respect for heritage.
DUTCH GILDED LEATHER - FIVE SENSES 1640
A centuries-old craft, transformed into wearable art
For REVUSD, master craftsman Sebastiaan van Soest created gilded-leather panels using Five Senses, a historic Dutch pattern from 1640 made by Maarten van de Heuvel, depicting touch, sight, sound, taste and smell woven into vines, flowers and fruit.
Each panel is made entirely by hand through traditional tooling and pure silver-leaf gilding. Crafting a single panel takes around 1.5 weeks, with the colouring process alone requiring six hours of dedicated manual work.
Nothing rushed.
Nothing added for ornament alone.
Just goldwork as a sensory experience, sitting somewhere between sculpture and craft.
Pieces made slowly, meant to be held, and alive with the history of their making.