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Get Framed! – Collecting Antique Picture Frames
Chances are, you have gotten one for your birthday, give one
to someone else for their birthday, or heck – you have probably bought a few
for yourself! Picture frames can
seem like very ordinary, common objects in the home. If you are talking about antique frames, however, ordinary
is far from an appropriate word for these unique items. Originally meant to create a focal
point for paintings, antique picture frames can actually be more intriguing and
valuable than the painting it protects.
Archaeologists have even dated picture frames back to the 2nd
century B.C.! There are many
different types of antique picture frames to choose from when starting a
collection, such as delicately carved wooden frames, ornately carved
three-dimensional sculpted frames, and light-transforming gilded frames, just
to name a few! Antique frames are
a beautiful and lasting collection to begin, so have some fun!
The History of the Frame
(courtesy of http://www.paulmitchell.co.uk)
Origins
Frames evolved from the borders which appeared 3-4,000 years
ago on vase and tomb paintings, and later on mosaics, enclosing narrative
scenes and decorative panels. Early Christian art adapted these to the carved
edgings of ivory book covers and diptychs, and finally of altarpieces. By this
time the function of the frame had changed: not merely a decorative boundary,
it protected and emphasized the work it held, and might have a strongly
symbolic aspect. The gold and gems of early altar frames suggested the glories
of Heaven; and the elaborate altarpieces developed in fourteenth- and
fifteenth-century Italy imitated a mediaeval cathedral in cross-section, the
'nave', 'aisles', 'crypt' and so on each holding a painted fraction of the
whole work.
These ecclesiastical settings were the first real picture
frames; they were followed in the early Renaissance by court frames,
commissioned by monarchs and the nobility for purposes of status and
propaganda. Such frames indicated power and wealth by the magnificence of their
workmanship and often too, by symbolic motifs. Secular frames followed:
everyday versions of court frames ,produced in increasing quantities from the
14th century to the present, and in all degrees of cost or elaboration.
These types and their evolution may be classified by their
nationality: each country developing characteristic forms, of which the most
successful might influence those of other countries - the Italian Renaissance
cassetta frame, the 18th century French Rococo frame (see A History of the
European fame, a study by nationality). They may also be divided across
national boundaries, by style: renaissance, Mannerist, the polished wooden
cabinetmaker's frame, Baroque, Palladian and Rococo, the Roman 'Salvator Rosa',
Neoclassical frames, and the academic or artists' frames of the nineteenth- and
twentieth-centuries (see FRAMEWORKS. These two books interlock with and
complement each other, creating a panorama of European framing history).
The Renaissance Cassetta
Various decorative techniques
Mannerist Frames
The characteristic organic motifs which appear on many
Mannerist frames (such as the one illustrated above) seem to have been
generated by craftsmen - especially silversmiths - working in the courts of
Bohemia. The melting cartilaginous shapes mimic the fluidity of metalwork, and
caused this style to be known as 'Auricular' (like ear lobes). Examples were
produced in Britain - the 'Sunderland', in the Netherlands - the 'Lutma', and
in Italy - the 'Medici' frame.
The Cabinetmaker's Frame
"... an Ebony frame can enrich a poor canvas, And make it
look or sell as well as a good one."
-Constantijn Huygens, patron of Rembrandt.
The cabinetmaker's frame, of stained or polished wood, was
related both to the simplest cassetta frame and to architectural panelling and
furniture. In Britain, the simpler forms of black and gilt 'entablature' frame
were used, effective against backgrounds of tapestry, tooled leather or
panelling, and when hung in groups. In seventeenth-century Holland the same
frame type evolved luxury forms through the use of tortoiseshell, ebony and
other costly woods from the Dutch colonies; ebony was particularly popular,
complementing portraits of the mercantile classes in their severe black and
white costumes, and highlighting landscapes against the pale, well-lit
interiors of the Netherlands. In Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain these wooden
frames took more ornate forms, the veneer being worked into complex patterns of
ripple, wave and basketwork mouldings. Such patterns took the place of gold
leaf, refracting light from their faceted, polished black surfaces onto the
painting. Frames like these are related to contemporary cabinets: Flemish
examples of ebony and tortoiseshell, painted and inlaid, or German cabinets
decorated with ivory and silver-gilt.
Baroque Frames
Baroque and Rococo frames reverted to gilding, except in
Spain which used polchromy. Their dynamic came from the 'cartouches' of curling
leaves, shells and volutes carved in the corners and often the centres of each
rail. The imaginary lines drawn between these points were utilized by
contemporary artists to emphasize their paintings, as shown here. The drama and
opulence achieved by Baroque frames reflected the grandeur of 17th century
princely life, and the theatrical spirituality of the Church: they were also
features of practical importance, since contemporary paintings needed strong
settings with powerful sculptural forms to project and emphasize them against
the splendors of the Baroque interior.
Rococo Frames
The Palladian Frame
Palladian and Roman frames provided a masculine,
architectural alternative to Baroque and Rococo curves - particularly in
Britain, where there were few, if any, complete Rococo interiors, and the taste
for classical forms had never been entirely superseded. The British Palladian
or 'Kent' frame, with its distinctive outset corners, is called after the
architect and designer William Kent; he derived it from the late Mannerist work
of Michelangelo, interpreted by Palladio and Inigo Jones. Kent, however, used
it as part of a coherent interior, where for the first time architecture,
fittings and furniture were designed as a single whole. The painting and its
frame were completely integrated with the overall setting. The 'Kent' frame was
decorated with strong classical mouldings, such as egg-&-dart,
ribbon-&-stave and Greek fret, which suited its bold silhouette; it might
be softened, however, by festoons or pendant drops of leaves and flowers, and
elaborate trophy versions were also produced.
The Salvator Rosa Frame
Neoclassical and Empire Frames
Both the Palladian and 'Salvator Rosa' styles fed the
Neoclassical designs of the late eighteenth- century. These were also
stimulated by reaction against the excesses of the Rococo, and by an upsurge of
interest in classical excavations and the study of the antique. The earliest
Neoclassical furniture designs were French; they appeared in the 1750s, in the
weighty, sober style known as 'goût grec', and were followed by frames which
used Classical ornament in the same bold idiom.
The style diffused outwards from France as Napoleon's Empire
spread over Europe, and led to the first truly international styles of the
nineteenth-century, with their plain ogee, rounded or hollow profiles, and
simple ornaments of moulded composition. These were also the first
mass-produced frames, composition allowing labour-intensive carving to be
replaced by moulded ornament. The frame - an object of art in its own right
until the early nineteenth-century - became degraded into a badly made, banal
setting for popular art, arbitrarily decorated and finished in cheap metallic
leaf or gold paint.
Where collectors and patrons in the past had put their mark
on their own collections by reframing them in the best taste of their own day,
the newly rich art buyers of the nineteenth- century now used revivals of
historical styles, reproduced in composition and schlagmetall ('Dutch leaf'),
because they fitted in better with the revival 'Louis' styles of nineteenth-century
furnishing. Both past patrons, who reframed for reasons of status and
possession, and nineteenth-century collectors, whose wobbly aesthetics could
not accommodate the drama of, for example, authentic Baroque frames, are
responsible for the loss of so many original settings from Old Masters and for
the need of new knowledge in this important area.
Tips for Collecting Antique Picture Frames
• Do your research! Before beginning
your collection of antique picture frames, you need to know a little bit about
their history. Learn the significance of the different types of frames.
Knowing the general production dates of different types of picture frames will
help you determine the rarity and the current market demand. It also
could help you to spot a great find when you least expect it!
• Check out specialty antique frame stores online.
There are antique picture frame websites out there that allow you to brows
thousands of antique picture frames. If you are shopping online, be sure
and contact the seller for additional details and pictures of the frames - you
want to makes sure you are getting a quality, genuine item.
• When you are shopping for an antique picture frames, make
sure you give it a good inspection. Look for things such as the age,
size, and the condition of the picture frame. The quality of the antique
picture frame will make a big difference on price. Often times, the best frames
go to museums so it is important to be able to outbid a museum at an art
auction if necessary. The highest quality frames can range in the tens of
thousands of dollars. Again however, if you choose to restore a picture frame
yourself you can save a ton of money.
• Make sure it is an authentic antique picture frame you are
purchasing, and not a replica! There are many replications of ancient picture
frames out there so be careful. Make sure all purchases over $100 are
thoroughly examined and certified by an expert prior to making any payment.
Someone who says it is authentic but will not provide documentation is most
likely bending the truth, if not flat out lying to you!
* If it is a
valuable and expensive frame, get it insured by the insurance company. Just as
with an expensive piece of jewelry, a genuine antique picture frame is a
valuable and irreplaceable item.
Most homeowners insurance covers a few hundred to a few thousand dollars
worth of art. Make sure that if your frame and picture combined are more than
what the insurance covers, then you should up your coverage to provide you a
refund in case of a fire. The only thing worse than losing a unique piece of
art is not getting reimbursed for it’s full cost.
