Louis XVI Revival Frame

Two More Antique Frames

Detail of the bottom section of a composition oval frame, and a nice Louis XVI style moulding frame. Both with original gilding, great looking burnish on the hollow of the French frame.

Louis Style: French Frames 1610 to 1792 - Exhibition at the Getty Center

Speaking of the closing of the National Gallery frame exhibition (see previous post), the Getty Center in Los Angeles has an upcoming frame exhibition; Louis Style: French Frames 1610-1792 which runs from September 15th to January 3rd 2016 - so plenty of time to see it if you are around LA. 

Louis Style: French Frames 1610-1792

Details from the Getty website:

What makes a French frame French? Drawn from the Museum's substantial collection, this exhibition presents a survey of the exquisite carved and gilded picture frames from five periods—Louis XIII (1630–1643), Louis XIV (1643–1715), Régence (1715–1723), Louis XV (1723–1774), and Louis XVI (1774–1792). Tracing their development from restrained to elaborate, dynamic forms to classically inspired style, the array presents a splendid compendium of French design, ornament, craftsmanship, and construction and gilding techniques. This exhibition, along with other displays at the Getty, commemorates the 300th anniversary of the death of Louis XIV, France's magnificent Sun King.

A selection of Louis XIII, XIV, XV, and XVI frames in the Getty exhibition.

A Louis XV frame circa 1770 by one of the finest 18th C framemakers; Jean Chérin 1734-1785

Barbizon frame

Another example of a good quality Barbizon frame.

Two French Antique Frames and a Vintage Artist's Frame

Examples of three French picture frames. Top is a 19th C Barbizon frame, middle a 19th C second Empire fluted neoclassical frame, and bottom is a mid 20th C Parisian frame known as a Montparnasse style. All of these are part of my new stock, and once catalogued they will be for sale.

Overpainted Empire Frame

This antique frame is a distinct style from the early 19th Century, related to the Empire style which originated in Napoleonic France. The frame has composition ornament Greek scrolling corners featuring the caduceus from Greek mythology, and a deep scotia shape. I believe this particular design came after the Empire period during the time known as the Bourbon Restoration, (the period marking the two occasions when Napoleon lost the throne). The general Empire style was also adopted in German and was known as the Biedermeier style. 

This frame has clearly been over-painted, this will be removed and the frame will be restored to an original condition.

Original and Repro

Here is a comparison between an original 17th Century Louis XIII flower corner frame (the style overlaps into the Louis XIV period) and a modern, 20th Century reproduction. The style is also referred to as a Lebrun frame after the French painter who was the first painter to Louis XIV, and was declared by the Sun King as "the greatest French artist of all time"

Stiller Designs

Carved French frame by Jutta Stiller.
Stiller Designs

I have followed this woodcarving blog, by carver Jutta Stiller, for a year or so. There are some lovely examples of hand carved picture frames and details of the processes involved in making truly hand made picture frames:

Stiller Designs - Frames

Great fluted cove

This is a lovely French fluted cove frame, the style is called Second Empire. It was probably made in the first half of the 20th Century, and is a really good quality frame.

French frame 2

A French 20th Century Louis XIII style frame, these mottled finishes are often called 'Impressionist' which may not be the best or most accurate description but it has become part of framing style vocabulary.  Lovely thin mitre splines though! 
In a similar way to how any black and gold frames, especially those used on antique prints, are simply called 'Hogarth frames'. They have little in common with real Hogarth frames which are really quite lovely polished fruit wood mouldings, often with a gilded sanded panel and carved edge.

French frame 1

This is a nice little antique French corner and centre frame, I like the very distressed water gilding and the incised details on the flat panel, also the small carved 'nicks' from the half round just inside the incised panel add a nice touch.

Second Empire

Another antique frame for some little repairs, we will also cut some glass and fit in a print. It's another French frame, in the second empire style, although I usually just describe this as neoclassical, anyway it has some nice original burnished gilding and is in pretty good condition.

Corner and centre frame

This wonderful 17th/18th Century Louis XIV frame is carved from oak, it looks as if it has been cut down during the 19th Century to fit the current painting, (which is by a French 19th Century artist) this fits in with the practice at the time of using earlier frames, especially this corner and centre style. Interestingly the artist actually worked as a picture frame maker, along with his Father. Who knows, maybe this frame was chosen by the artist or maybe by a dealer or gallery, either way it is a lovely antique frame.
My favourite detail on this frame is the variation in the cross hatched ground, it uses four different types of pattern for the centres, the corners, and the areas between the two. It's subtle but shows some extra time and thought went into the making.

Great antique frame

This lovely 19th Century French Barbizon or Salon frame came in today for some repairs, I think it's just about as good a compo or plaster ornamented frame as you could hope to see. The ornament looks as if it could have been carved, instead of looking moulded, the gilding is highly burnished and all round it's a quality frame.

Two 19th Century Barbizon frames

These are a pair of good quality, nicely made, French composition frames. They are having some minor repairs.  

Louis XVI frame

This antique frame was made in Paris, it is a classic Louis XVI style frame which is suitable for framing antique prints, pastels, or watercolours. It is in good condition with original water gilding and just some minor losses to the gesso at the corners. It was probably made in the late 19th or early 20th Century. This is one of my growing stock of antique, old, and reproduction frames which can be used to period frame works brought to me by my customers.

Antique frame on a holiday souvenir

It is not the usual method of framing paintings bought on holiday, but I think this antique French style moulding frame works very well and is an interesting contrast on this fun painting. The frame is heavily distressed water gilding, with the gesso and wood exposed in places, the whole surface has been protected and stabilised with a consolidating adhesive, to stop any more losses to the surface.