Black Hand-Painted Picture Frame — Made to Measure

This black picture frame is made to measure in the workshop — in solid low-tannin wood (the timber chosen by museums and conservators for its dimensional stability and chemical neutrality), painted by hand in deep, richly pigmented black, finished in a half-matte satin sheen. The fine brush marks left in the surface are intentional — a record of hand-painting, not a manufacturing flaw. Classical stepped cassetta profile, moulding 70 mm wide and 35 mm deep, mortise-jointed corners.

Cross-section of the moulding. The stepped construction is organised from the artwork side toward the outer edge of the moulding. Closest to the artwork — the rabbet, a 7 mm wide and 10 or 20 mm deep recess (specified at order) into which the work is seated. Above the rabbet, a fine inner step rising toward the middle of the profile. The centre of the moulding is occupied by a wide, flat fascia — a uniform plane that gives the frame its quiet, geometric order. From the fascia toward the outer edge, the profile rises through two stepped fillets and closes with a tall rectangular crown resting on a vertical side wall — the outer face of the frame. Each step casts a regular, parallel shadow onto the next: the composition the Italians developed during the Renaissance as the cassetta type, still used today in conservation framing of oil paintings and collectors' prints.

Suited to

Black quietens the surroundings; the classical stepped profile lends weight to the image without overpowering it. The frame works well with oil paintings, watercolours, prints, drawings and photography in restrained palettes — wherever the work calls for a frame strong in contour but reserved in detail. In interiors, it sits naturally in classical and modern arrangements with timber and brass accents, in studies and home libraries, in private galleries built around anthracite, ivory and taupe. From a collector's perspective, black is the neutral, non-interfering frame — letting the colour and composition of the artwork speak for itself. Other models in this palette are available in the black picture frames collection.

Specification

• Style: classical, cassetta profile (Italian, banded with stepped fillets and a tall outer crown)
• Surface finish: hand-painted in richly pigmented black, half-matte satin, sealed with shellac and wax
• Moulding width: 70 mm
• Moulding depth: 35 mm
• Rabbet — width × depth: 7 mm × 10 mm or 7 mm × 20 mm (specified at order)
• Material: solid low-tannin wood used in museum and conservation framing
• Corner joinery: mortise-jointed — no visible gaps at the corners
• Artwork retention: spring clips (factory-fitted) or brass plates with screws (supplied loose)
• Hanging: steel cord (standard); single D-ring on request
• Suited to: oil paintings on stretchers up to 25 mm, watercolours, prints, drawings, photography, diplomas

The dimensions you enter in the calculator refer to the artwork size. The frame is made 2–3 mm larger than the artwork — a technical clearance that allows the work to be seated cleanly in the rabbet. The base price is per linear metre of moulding. Mitred corners cut at 45° require additional length — the wider the moulding, the more material at each corner. The calculator accounts for full consumption with corners and any selected add-ons.

Workshop process

The moulding is made from solid low-tannin wood — the timber chosen by museums and conservators for its dimensional stability and chemical neutrality. Once profiled, the moulding is primed and then hand-painted in deep black, layer by layer; each coat is lightly sanded between applications to achieve depth of colour and even coverage. The final seal — shellac and wax — gives a quiet satin sheen and a durable, scratch-resistant surface. The fine brush marks left in the finish are intentional: they are evidence of hand-painting and what distinguishes this frame from a factory-lacquered profile.

Corners are mortise-jointed — a cabinetmaking technique requiring precisely cut tenons and slots. The result is a stable, invisible joint that does not expand seasonally or split under the load of a large frame. The same profile composition and hand-finishing techniques run through the workshop's other painted and partially gilded frames.

How it differs from mass production

A factory "black frame" is typically an ABS or MDF profile wrapped in black foil or sprayed with lacquer — smooth, uniform, factory-perfect, and factory-impersonal. The brush marks on this frame are not imitated; they are the result of actual painting in pigmented paint, layer over layer. Solid wood holds dimension where MDF swells in humidity, and a mortise joint holds the corner where a clip-jointed frame eventually splits. This frame is for paintings that matter — the kind one expects to live with for ten years, twenty, longer. Traditionally painted frames have that life span built into the construction.

Functionality

The frame is supplied as a setting for canvas on stretcher or for a work on a rigid support (board, panel, photograph in a mat). It is sold without glass — glass, archival backing and matting are available as add-ons (section below). Standard delivery includes the frame with retention hardware and hanging system; extended archival framing for works on paper, archival photography or conservation work is available 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.

Artwork retention and hanging

The frame is supplied without glass, as a setting for canvas on stretcher or for a work on a rigid support. The artwork is held in the rabbet by one of two methods (selected from the product menu):

• Spring clips — factory-fitted to the rear edge of the rabbet; the artwork is exchanged by rotating the clips aside, no screws required. Convenient for rotating displays.
• Brass plates with screws — supplied loose with screws included; the customer fits the artwork. Permanent solution for fixed display.

Hanging orientation — portrait or landscape — is selected from the product menu. The frame is fitted in the chosen orientation. Standard hanging is a steel cord secured to the rear edge of the moulding. A single D-ring is available on request as an alternative.

Made-to-measure ordering

You order the frame to the size of your artwork — enter the width and height in the calculator (to the nearest 0.1 cm). The frame is made 2–3 mm larger than the entered dimension; this technical clearance allows the work to be seated cleanly in the rabbet. Lead time is 20–30 working days from order confirmation. Hand-painting and the shellac-and-wax seal cannot be accelerated without compromising the quality of the finish.

If you need a frame in a size beyond the calculator's range, please get in touch directly. Larger formats are produced individually, with the moulding adapted to the weight and proportions of the artwork.

Personalisation: the frame is offered standard in satin black, but other colours are available to order from a curated, richly pigmented paint range, as well as a high-gloss lacquered finish. A rabbet-less version — a shadowbox frame for canvas on stretcher with the canvas edge exposed — is also available.