Black picture frame for canvas – high-gloss lacquer

This black picture frame is finished in a deep, mirror-like piano gloss (piano finish) – a smooth, intense, uniformly black high-gloss surface. The wide, profiled 75 mm moulding gives the frame a bold, contemporary presence while staying versatile: it suits oil paintings and works on canvas as readily as prints and photographs. I make each frame by hand, to measure, and beyond classic black it is also available in many other colours from a curated, richly pigmented paint range.

The moulding profile

The moulding has a wide, confident profile. From the artwork side it begins with a half-round hollow, steps up to a fine bead that is the highest point of the moulding, then steps down into a deep half-round cove, and closer to the outer edge it finishes with fine stepped detailing. The whole surface carries an even, deep high-gloss black.

Specification

• Style: contemporary, piano-gloss
• Finish: high gloss (piano finish), sealed with lacquer
• Moulding width: 75 mm
• Moulding depth: 42 mm
• Rabbet: 7 mm wide; deep enough for a stretched canvas up to approx. 20 mm
• Material: solid, low-tannin timber of the kind used in museum and conservation framing
• Corners: mitred at 45° and reinforced with wooden splines
• Glass: supplied without glass as standard (for canvas mounting); archival glass available as an option
• Backing: optional Dibond 3 mm panel
• Mounting: optional acid-free foam board
• Fixing and hanging: sprung clips (standard) or brass plates on request; hanging fittings with picture wire
• Suitable for: oil paintings, works on canvas, stretched canvases, prints, photographs
• Lead time: 20–30 working days
• Made: by hand, to measure

You order the frame to the size of your artwork. I make the rabbet roughly 2–3 mm larger than the artwork, so it sits without strain, with the moulding overlapping its edge by about 4–5 mm.

Suitable artworks and interiors

High-gloss black is a frame with real presence. It works best with oil paintings and richly coloured works on canvas, yet it equally disciplines prints, posters and photographs, lending them a gallery-like seriousness. The wide moulding gives the work room to breathe and sets it clearly off the wall. If you are weighing up the right width and type of frame, my guide to choosing a frame for canvas paintings may help.

In an interior, glossy black suits modern, minimalist and glamour schemes – it contrasts with pale walls and builds depth in darker rooms. It is one option within my range of black picture frames.

Workmanship and finish

The profile is milled from solid wood, and I join the corners with wooden splines mitred at 45° – far more durable than a plain glued butt joint. Before painting, the moulding is given a hand-prepared, carefully sanded ground; only such a smooth surface allows a clean, deep gloss. I build the black up in coats, then seal it with lacquer and polish it to a mirror-like piano finish. The result is a smooth, even surface free of visible runs or bubbles.

Each piece is made to measure and finished by hand, so slight variations in the gloss and surface finish are a natural feature of a handcrafted frame, not a flaw.

How it differs from mass production

Ready-made frames come from foil-wrapped or laminated mouldings in fixed sizes. Here the moulding is solid wood and the gloss comes from hand-applied, polished coats – which is where its depth comes from, something a foil finish cannot give. The frame is built for a specific artwork, in any size, with durable corner joints. If you prefer a quieter, matte finish from the same family, see the black gesso picture frame.

Functionality

This frame is built primarily for mounting a stretched canvas up to approx. 20 mm thick, so the basic version is supplied without glass. The 42 mm moulding depth safely encloses the stretcher and leaves room for fixing. For works on paper – prints, photographs, watercolours – the frame can be completed with glass, matting and a backing (options below).

The moulding can also be made without a rabbet, as a floater frame (a shadow or floating frame), in which a canvas appears to hover inside the frame, separated from it by a narrow gap.

Complete framing – additional options

Every frame can be completed with a full archival mounting prepared in the workshop: glass, archival backing and matting. All components are available as a custom add-on – quote on request.

Glass – four classes available

Opti White, 4mm – low-iron glass with a neutral, colourless appearance (no green tint typical of standard float glass). Available up to 90×90 cm – the only option for larger works.

Ultra Vue UV70 (Tru Vue), 2.0mm – anti-reflective glass with 70% UV protection, low-iron. Available up to 60×80 cm.

Art View – premium-class anti-reflective glass: reflection reduced below 1%, up to 75% UV protection, scratch-resistant coating, low-iron, can be cut and mounted from either side. Meets ISO 18916 (Photographic Activity Test) – safe for archival photography. Premium quality at an accessible price. Available up to 60×80 cm.

Optium Museum Acrylic (Tru Vue) – top-tier museum acrylic: over 99% UV protection, museum-grade reflection reduction, anti-static, lightweight, shatter-resistant. The museum standard for conservation work and archival photography. Available up to 60×80 cm.

Archival backing

Dibond 3mm aluminium composite panel – two layers of aluminium with an acid-free polymer core. Rigid, chemically neutral, dimensionally stable. An industry standard in archival photographic framing and art conservation.

Mounting and matting

Acid-free foam board – chemically neutral, will not yellow over time, will not react with paper or photographic emulsions. Archival standard.

Full museum framing

Combining anti-reflective UV-filtering glass, acid-free matting, Dibond backing and conservation hinging tapes provides a museum-grade mounting – protecting the work from light damage, acid migration from typical framing materials, and mechanical distortion. This type of framing is used in museums, galleries and private collections.

To order: all of the above components are available as a frame add-on on request. Please get in touch with the dimensions of your work and your preferred glass class – I will prepare an individual quote.

Hardware and hanging

The basic version is supplied without glass and prepared for mounting a stretched canvas.

Holding the artwork. As standard, the work is held in the frame by sprung clips fixed at the back – simply turn them aside to remove or swap the artwork quickly. On request I supply brass plates with screws instead (supplied loose, for you to fit yourself) – a permanent fixing for a long-term mount.

Hanging. The frame is prepared to hang in portrait or landscape orientation – you choose the orientation when ordering. I fit hanging plates with picture wire as standard; a single D-ring is available on request.

Made-to-measure ordering

To order a made-to-measure frame, measure the width and height of your artwork to within 0.1 cm and enter the dimensions in the calculator on the product page (for example 35.4 cm × 30.3 cm), then add the product to your basket. I build the frame with about 2–3 mm of technical clearance to make inserting the artwork easier.

The base price shown is the price per linear metre of moulding. The perimeter of the artwork alone is not the full length of moulding the frame needs – corners cut at 45° take up extra length, the more so the wider the moulding. The calculator accounts for the full moulding usage including corners, together with any options you select.

The online price calculator supports artwork sizes up to 120×80 cm. Larger formats are made to individual order. The frame can also be ordered in another colour from my own paint range – just tell me which shade you have in mind.