Black Dutch-Style Picture Frame for Oil Paintings, with a Gold Edge

This black Dutch-style picture frame for oil paintings keeps its gold to one place: a narrow line of real gold leaf on the flat step at the sight edge, where the frame meets the painting. The rest of the moulding is painted black by hand to a satin sheen, in the manner of the black frames used for Dutch painting in the 17th century. It is a painted frame with gilded accents, not a gilded frame. It belongs among my black picture frames, each made to order for a particular painting.

Frame profile

The gold lies on a flat step at the sight edge, so the gilded line runs directly along the edge of the painting. Behind the step a small concave arc rises and at once drops into a broad hollow, which takes up most of the width of the moulding. The deepest point of the hollow sits level with the inner edge, and from there the surface climbs gently outwards. A narrow step runs along the top of the outer side, and a quarter-round (ovolo) closes the section. Beneath it the outer side is undercut in a shallow curve, which lightens the frame in side view.

Specification

• style: Dutch-style black frame with a broad hollow and a gold edge
• finish: painted black by hand to a satin sheen, sealed with traditional shellac and wax
• gilding: the flat step at the sight edge, in real gold leaf (23-karat yellow gold, 22-karat moon gold or 12-karat white gold), water gilded on bole and burnished with an agate stone
• moulding width: 75 mm
• moulding thickness (face to back): 52 mm
• rebate: 7 mm wide, 10 mm or 20 mm deep, chosen in the order menu
• material: timber with a low tannin content, of the kind used in museums and art conservation
• corner joinery: mitred corners reinforced with wooden splines
• glazing, backing and mat: optional extras, priced individually outside the calculator
• mounting: sprung clips as standard, brass screw plates on request
• hanging: picture wire as standard, a single D-ring on request
• suitable for: oil and acrylic paintings on canvas, portraits, landscapes and classic reproductions; with glazing, works on paper and photographs

I make the frame 2 to 3 mm larger than the painting, so the work drops into the rebate without force, and the moulding then covers about 4 to 5 mm of its edge.

Which paintings and interiors it suits

This is first of all a frame for oil and acrylic painting on canvas: portraits, landscapes and classic reproductions. The broad hollow falls away from the picture, so the black does not crowd the paint surface, while the gold at the sight edge gives the composition a clear boundary. With glazing added, it also takes drawings, watercolours and photographs. I describe my approach on the page about framing oil paintings.

I write about the Dutch tradition behind this black in my guide to Dutch frames. The same black still serves work with deep shadows as well as contemporary painting with strong colour. In a room it suits classic and darker schemes, such as a library, a study or a formal living room, and on a light wall it gives the picture a firm outline.

Craftsmanship and finish

I cut the lengths at 45 degrees and join the corners with wooden splines while the wood is still bare, so the joints stay closed through seasonal changes in humidity. The frame then receives several coats of gesso, which I smooth before painting the black by hand.

On the flat step I lay the bole and apply the gold by water gilding, leaf beside leaf with an overlap of about 1 mm: one continuous layer of gold on a ground built up in coats. A leaf measures about 80 × 80 mm, so for a step this narrow I cut it into strips with a knife on a gilder's cushion, and on a line this thin every cut shows at close range. When the gilding has dried, I burnish it with an agate stone and seal the frame with traditional shellac and wax.

How it differs from mass production

Mass-produced frames are usually cut from long lengths of foil-wrapped or printed moulding. This one starts as bare timber rather than MDF or foam, and every stage after the cut happens by hand in my workshop. The gold edge is real gold leaf, not a metallic film or paint, and the hand finish varies slightly from frame to frame. I make it only once you order, to the dimensions of your painting.

Functionality

The frame is supplied without glazing, prepared for a painting on a stretcher. The rebate depth follows the picture thickness chosen in the order menu: 10 mm for thin, rigid supports such as canvas boards and panels, or 20 mm for a canvas on a stretcher up to 20 mm (about ¾ inch) thick; for a deeper stretcher, send me its dimensions before ordering. The same profile can be made without a rebate as a floating frame, with a narrow gap between the painting and the moulding, as I explain in my article on the floating picture frame for canvas art.

Frequently asked questions

Is the whole frame gilded, or only the edge?

Only the edge. The gold covers the flat step at the sight edge, and the rest of the moulding is painted black by hand. It is a black frame with gold trim. If you would rather have no gold at all, the same moulding can be finished in black alone: write to me before ordering.

Which gold tone should I choose for an oil painting?

23-karat yellow gold gives the strongest, warmest line and suits warm palettes, portraits and Old Master painting. 22-karat moon gold is paler and cooler, with a slight silvery cast, and sits more quietly beside greys, blues and greens; 12-karat white gold is paler and cooler still. The bole shifts the result too: red warms the gold, grey quietens and cools it. Tell me which combination you want, or send me a photograph of the painting and I will suggest one.

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

Yes. For a drawing, a watercolour or a photograph I can add conservation-grade low-reflection UV glazing, an acid-free mat and a Dibond backing, each priced individually. With a moulding this wide, a traditional mat border of about 1½ to 2¼ inches, 40 to 57 mm, keeps the proportions in balance.

Can a gilded frame be made within a tighter budget?

Yes. Here the gold already covers a single narrow step, which keeps the amount of leaf small. For a further saving, change the profile rather than the gold: a narrower, simpler moulding needs less timber and less hand work, and the gilding stays real gold leaf. Send me the size of your painting and I will suggest a section.

Complete framing – additional options

Every frame I make can be completed with full archival and museum-quality framing: anti-reflective UV-filtering glass (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

This frame is intended for paintings on canvas and stretchers, so it does not include glass as standard. To hold the painting, I fit sprung retaining clips as standard; they pivot to the side, so the canvas can be removed and replaced quickly without tools. On request I supply brass plates with screws instead (provided loose, for permanent self-installation). The hanging orientation, portrait or landscape, is chosen at checkout. Picture wire is standard, with a single D-ring available on request.

Ordering made to measure

The base price shown on the site is the price per running metre of moulding. The perimeter of the painting is not the full length of moulding a frame needs: corners cut at 45 degrees take extra length, and the wider the moulding, the more they take. The calculator accounts for the full moulding consumption with corners and for any options you choose, so you only need to enter the dimensions of your painting. The calculator accepts artwork up to a perimeter of 180 cm, the limit set for a moulding of this width; larger formats I make to individual order, so please write to me first. The lead time is 20 to 30 working days.