Wide Black Picture Frame with White Gold Trim, 80 mm

This wide black picture frame with a white gold trim is made to measure for oil paintings on canvas. The gilding is confined to one band at the inner edge, water gilded in 6-karat white gold leaf and burnished with an agate stone, and everything around it is satin black. Against the black, the white gold reads as a cool, almost chrome-like line that holds the edge of the painting without competing with its colours. I make each frame for one painting, in my own workshop, from the joinery to the final coat of wax.

The moulding profile

The moulding is 80 mm wide and 42 mm thick, with a soft, broad section. A gilded band of 6-karat white gold runs around the inner edge. A satin black face takes up most of the width, and at the outer edge the profile closes with a stepped descent. These proportions give the frame clear visual weight, and it balances larger canvases well.

Specification

• style: black painted frame with a white gold trim
• finish: black with a satin sheen, waxed by hand; high gloss on request
• moulding width: 80 mm
• moulding thickness (face to back): 42 mm
• rebate: 7 mm wide, 20 mm deep
• material: low-tannin wood of the kind used in museum framing and art conservation
• corners: mitred and reinforced with wooden splines
• gilding: genuine 6-karat white gold leaf on the inner edge, water gilded on gesso and bole, burnished with an agate stone
• glazing, backing and mount: optional, quoted individually
• fixings and hanging: sprung clips as standard, brass plates on request; picture wire, single D-ring on request; vertical or horizontal
• use: oil and acrylic paintings on canvas, especially larger formats

You order the frame to the size of the painting, giving the dimensions of the canvas. I build in 2–3 mm of technical clearance, and the moulding overlaps the edge of the artwork by roughly 4–5 mm.

Oil paintings and interiors it suits

The frame is intended for oil and acrylic paintings on canvas, and its width pays off most on larger formats, where a narrow moulding would disappear next to the composition. The black face sets the painting apart from the wall, and the white gold edge adds a line of cool metal without warming it. That suits blue, grey and green palettes, winter and night scenes, and monochrome work. In a traditional study the frame reads as a classic black-and-gilt surround; in a pared-back modern room it becomes a single strong accent. Works on paper and photographs can go into it once mounted and glazed. Other painted frames with a gilded detail are gathered among my gilded and partially painted picture frames.

How the frame is made and gilded

I join the corners first, mitred and reinforced with wooden splines, before any ground is applied. The frame is then built up in gesso, and along the inner edge I lay bole, the fine clay ground that water gilding needs. For a band this narrow I cut each leaf with a gilder's knife on a gilder's cushion. I lay the 6-karat white gold leaf by leaf, each overlapping the last by about 1 mm, which gives a single continuous layer, and burnish it with an agate stone to a high polish. The black face is finished by hand to a satin sheen and sealed with traditional shellac and wax.

On request I finish the black in high gloss, and you can choose the colour of the bole beneath the leaf, which slightly shifts the tone of the white gold. I describe the process in full on my water gilding page.

How it differs from a mass-produced frame

A ready-made black frame with a silver-coloured edge is usually a foil-wrapped moulding with a printed or sprayed metallic line. Here the line is genuine white gold leaf, water gilded on gesso and bole and burnished by hand, and I do not use metallic imitation paint. The frame is made for one painting, to its exact size, and small differences in the burnished leaf are the trace of handwork, not a flaw.

Functionality

The frame is supplied without glazing, for a painting on a stretcher. The rebate is 7 mm wide and 20 mm deep and takes stretcher bars up to 20 mm deep; if yours are deeper, send me their depth before you order. The same moulding can also be made without a rebate, as a floating frame that leaves a narrow gap around the canvas and keeps its edges in view, as I explain in my guide to the floating picture frame for canvas art.

Frequently asked questions

Is the whole frame gilded, or only the inner edge?

Only the inner edge. That band is genuine 6-karat white gold leaf, water gilded on a bole ground; the rest of the moulding is satin black. White gold of this karat is gold alloyed with silver, so the line looks cool and silvery rather than yellow.

Which gold tone should I choose for an oil painting?

It depends on the palette. A 6-karat white gold line suits cool colour: blues, greys and greens, snow and night scenes, monochrome work. Warm palettes, earth colours and deep reds usually sit better with a yellow gold line. My picture frame colour and material guide explains how metal and colour interact, and if you are unsure, send me a photograph of the painting and I will advise.

Is this frame suitable for a large oil painting?

Yes, its width is meant for larger canvases. The online calculator handles paintings up to 180 cm around the perimeter (about 71 inches); for anything bigger, send me the dimensions and I will price the frame individually.

Can this frame take conservation-grade low-reflection UV glazing?

Yes. Oil paintings on canvas usually hang without glazing, but for works on paper and photographs I fit conservation-grade low-reflection UV glazing, acid-free mount board, spacers and a Dibond backing to order, quoted from the dimensions of the work.

Complete framing – additional options

Every frame I make can be completed with full archival and museum-quality framing: conservation-grade low-reflection UV glazing (four classes to choose from), acid-free museum mat board, spacers wrapped in acid-free paper and a Dibond backing. This kind of mounting protects the work from light, acids and distortion. I set out the full glass and material specification on a separate page: archival and museum framing for paintings and photographs. All components are available at extra cost, as an individual quote on request.

Mounting and hanging

Sprung clips are fitted as standard. They turn aside to let the work in and back to hold it, and they cope with anything from a thin board to a stretched canvas. Brass plates with screws are available on request and are supplied loose, for permanent fixing once the work is in place. Hanging orientation, vertical or horizontal, is chosen from the order menu. Picture wire is fitted as standard, and a single D-ring hanger can be fitted instead if you ask for it.

Ordering made to measure

Measure the artwork to within a millimetre, enter both figures in the calculator and choose the hanging orientation in the product options.

The base price shown is the price per running metre of moulding. The perimeter of the artwork is not the whole length a frame consumes: mitres cut at 45 degrees take extra length at every corner, and the wider the moulding, the more they take. The calculator accounts for the full consumption of moulding including the corners.

For this moulding width the calculator handles artworks up to 180 cm around the perimeter; anything larger is made to individual order, so send me the dimensions and I will price it. Glazing, backing and mount are quoted separately. Every frame leaves the workshop in 20–30 working days.