This ripple style moulding is made from obeche with the two ripple patterns being made from a material called pasta, which is basically wood pulp and binders. The patterns are created with an embossing wheel, (I waffled on about this in a post about a month ago) this moulding is bought unfinished, and in this photo the first coat of gesso has been applied to the frame.
The genuine and original 17th C European, (commonly but not exclusively Dutch) ripple and ebonised frames are highly sought after, and go for high prices. The mouldings have quite an interesting history, with carving machines being developed to create the repetitive waveform, flame, or ripple shapes. The first reproduction machine used to recreate the ripple mouldings was built by the legendary frame expert Paul Levi.
A fascinating article on the ripple mouldings and waveform machine was written by Professor Jonathan Thornton, who also made a reproduction "waving engine machine". The article says that the ripple type moulding was probably first developed in Germany around 1600:
If you want to make a reproduction frame in this style now, there is a very good supplier of pearwood waveform mouldings in Salzburg, Austria, called Jakob Schiffer.
http://www.flammleisten.at/index%20englisch.html
http://www.flammleisten.at/index%20englisch.html
