Classical Picture Frame in Greys with 12-Karat White Gold Leaf

A classical picture frame in which the architectural drawing of the profile meets the cool gleam of 12-karat white gold leaf and a deliberate play of two shades of grey. This is a frame for the collector who treats the framing as part of the painting — not as background, not as cosmetics, but as a full participant in the composition.

The profile combines classical architectural mouldings. On the sight edge, a half-round torus rises from a cyma (ogee scotia) — a strong, vertical accent on the rabbet edge. Behind it stretches a broad frieze, widened on the customer's request in this commission. The outer edge is finished with a delicate secondary bead over a fillet. On the narrow fillet between the frieze and the bead runs a 3-millimetre pinstripe gilded in white gold leaf — a fine detail that divides the frame optically and gives it rhythm.

The two greys — cooler and deeper in the recess between the cyma and the frieze, lighter and more neutral on the frieze itself — create a subtle play of light that shifts as the viewer moves and reinforces the rhythm of the profile. It reads differently than a single-colour frame: the relief of the profile is strengthened rather than flattened by the colour.

Suited to which paintings and interiors

The profile suits oil and acrylic paintings with a balanced, restrained palette — landscapes, still lifes, portraits, abstracts in muted tones. The cool greys and white gold work especially well with works dominated by whites, blues, navies, olives and earth tones. The frame does not compete with the painting — it strengthens it. See all models in the workshop's collection of picture frames.

In an interior the frame bridges classical and contemporary. It animates a minimal living room hung with a single accent work, and equally finds its place in an eclectic interior with period furniture. Suited to private homes, studies and intimate galleries.

Specification

• Style: classical, architectural
• Finish: two shades of grey + 12-karat white gold leaf, 3 mm gold pinstripe
• Moulding width: 70 mm (standard); widened frieze on request
• Moulding depth: from 33 mm (with 10 mm rabbet) or 43 mm (with 20 mm rabbet)
• Rabbet: 7 mm wide, depth selectable — 10 or 20 mm
• Material: solid timber low in tannins, used in museum conservation and the framing of art
• Floater variant: available without rabbet, as a floating frame for canvas on stretcher
• Artwork retention: spring clips (factory-fitted) or brass plates fixed with screws (supplied loose, with screws included)
• Hanging: cord as standard, single D-ring on request
• Suited to: oil and acrylic paintings, photography, prints

The dimensions in your order refer to the artwork (canvas on stretcher or print). The frame is built with a 2–3 mm technical clearance to allow easy insertion of the work.

Making

The moulding is cut from solid timber low in tannins — a species used in museum conservation and the framing of art, dimensionally stable and chemically neutral with paint and gilding. The surface is gessoed and hand-painted with paints from a curated, richly pigmented range in two carefully matched shades of grey — full control over tone and contrast. The sides of the frame are finished in semi-matte and sealed with wax.

Gilding is carried out in the traditional manner with 12-karat white gold leaf (more on the process in the gilding workshop). Sheets approximately 80 mm square are cut on a gilder's cushion with a knife and laid onto the prepared, polished ground. The gilding covers the two raised elements of the profile — the inner torus at the sight edge and the outer secondary bead — together with the fine 3-millimetre band on the fillet between the frieze and the bead. The gilded surface is sealed traditionally with shellac and wax; this gives a deep, slightly matte sheen rather than the flat plane of a lacquered surface. The shellac bonds with the metal over time and deepens its tone.

How it differs from mass production

Mass-produced mouldings are extruded from MDF and polymer, then wrapped in metallic foil or coated with metallic paint. The result is uniform, plasticky — without depth, without play of light. Here the mechanics are reversed: real gold leaf on solid timber, hand-painted with pigment paint and sealed with traditional shellac and wax. Every frame is built from scratch for a specific commission and a specific painting — no two are alike. The faint traces of handwork are evidence of craft, not flaws.

Functionality

The frame is supplied without glass — as a setting for canvas on stretcher or for work mounted in the rabbet. The artwork is held in the rabbet by spring clips, factory-fitted; rotated to the side, they allow the work to be removed and replaced without tools. As an alternative, brass plates fixed with screws are available — supplied loose, with screws included, for the customer to install when permanent, concealed mounting is preferred. Portrait or landscape orientation is selected from the menu, and the frame is built in the chosen orientation. The standard hanging is a cord; a single D-ring hanger is fitted on request.

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.

Made to measure

The frame is made to measure for the specific dimensions of your artwork. To order: measure the width and height of the work, enter the values to 0.1 cm in the calculator on the product page, and add the product to the cart. The base price is the price per linear metre of moulding. Mitred corners cut at 45° take additional length — more, the wider the moulding. The calculator accounts for the full consumption with corners and any add-ons selected.

The online price calculator supports artwork sizes up to 120×80 cm. Larger formats are made to individual order — please get in touch with the dimensions of your work.

This frame is a deliberate example of personalisation. In the menu it is offered with two rabbet depths — 10 mm and 20 mm — and a standard moulding width of 70 mm. In the commission shown the frieze was widened to the customer's specification, and both shades of grey were chosen to suit a specific painting. Every choice can be changed: a single colour in place of two, the palette tuned to your interior, the gold tone replaced (6-karat or 12-karat white gold, 22-karat moon gold, or classical 23-karat yellow gold), the artwork retention method swapped. Before placing your order please get in touch to discuss the details together.

Lead time: 20–30 working days from the moment the order is confirmed.