Verre églomisé
Verre églomisé is the technique of decorating glass on the back, for example with gold or silver leaf, paint or engraved lines, so that the design is seen through the glass and protected from wear. The name comes from the eighteenth-century French dealer Jean-Baptiste Glomy, whose framed pictures made in this way became fashionable.
The method is much older than the name and was used in Roman and medieval times for gilded decoration. In architecture, it is used for signs, panels, mirrors and ornamental surfaces, for instance in gilded lettering on shop windows and pub mirrors, where the gold shines through the glass.
Because the design lies behind the glass, the front stays smooth and easy to clean.