Black painting frame with 6K white gold leaf — made to measure

A profile composed of a flat central panel flanked by two milled shapes on different planes — the outer shape raised, the inner shape set lower, stepping down toward the painting. Both milled shapes are of equal width and gilded with 6K white gold leaf. The flat central panel and the sides of the frame are finished in deep, satin black. Of the gold leaf options offered in the workshop, 6K white gold gives the coolest reflection — closest to chrome, almost mirror-like. Set against the soft, deep black, it draws a sharp, deliberate contour that frames the work without softening it. This is a frame for paintings that already carry their own weight — it does not retire as a neutral background; it works as a structural line.

Best suited for

The contrast between black and cool 6K white gold is at its strongest with works built on bold, decisive composition. It pairs particularly well with:

• black-and-white photography, especially portraits and figure studies,
• minimalist graphics, monochrome prints, fine-art posters,
• paintings with strong light/shadow contrast (chiaroscuro, baroque painting),
• contemporary abstract painting in monochromatic palettes,
• reportage and documentary photography.

In interiors, the frame works with modern classicism, loft spaces, art deco and glamour aesthetics. The cool tone of 6K white gold sits naturally alongside chrome, brushed steel, polished stone and glass — settings where the warmer tones of 22-karat or 23-karat gold leaf would feel out of place.

Specification

• Style: modern classic with metal accent
• Profile: flat central panel between two milled shapes on different planes — the outer one raised, the inner one set lower (stepping down toward the painting)
• Gilding: hand-applied 6K white gold leaf on both milled shapes of the profile, sealed with shellac and wax
• Black finish: central flat panel and sides — deep satin black, hand-painted and finished with wax
• Moulding width: 72 mm
• Moulding depth: 37 mm
• Rabbet width: 7 mm
• Rabbet depth: 20 mm (maximum thickness of painting or stretcher)
• Material: solid low-tannin wood, the type used in museum framing and art conservation
• Painting attachment in rabbet: spring clips or brass plates with screws (chosen from the variant menu)
• Hanging: steel wire on two D-rings, vertical or horizontal orientation (chosen from the variant menu)

Dimensions entered in the calculator refer to the size of your painting, not the outer edge of the frame. The frame is made 2–3 mm larger than the entered dimensions — the technical clearance needed to seat the painting safely in the rabbet. The actual rabbet overlap onto the painting is approximately 4–5 mm.

How it is made

Every frame is built from scratch in the workshop. Lengths are mitred at 45° and joined at the corners with wooden splines before any finishing — this guarantees structural stability and keeps the geometry true for years. The frame then goes through the full water-gilding process:

• multilayer chalk-and-glue gesso ground,
• hand-sanded to a perfectly smooth surface — necessary, since gold leaf reveals every grain of the substrate,
• bole laid as the gilding base,
• 6K white gold leaf applied by hand to both milled shapes of the profile — outer and inner,
• burnishing of the gilded surfaces to bring out the cool, metallic sheen,
• black sections (central flat panel and sides) hand-painted in the workshop's high-pigment paint,
• black surfaces finished with wax to a deep, soft satin sheen,
• gilded surfaces sealed with traditional shellac and wax.

Workshop note: white gold leaf comes in sheets of approximately 80×80 mm. To cover the bands running along the profile — outer and inner, both of equal width — the leaf is cut on a gilder's cushion with a gilder's knife. Each fragment is placed individually, fitted by hand to the curvature of the profile. This step cannot be mechanised. Every frame carries a minimally unique pattern of leaf joins, invisible at distance but always present on closer view.

How this differs from mass production

In mass-produced frames, a metallic accent typically comes from one of:

• mechanically applied metal foil,
• metallic-pigment paint,
• imitation leaf made from base-metal alloys (copper and zinc), which oxidises and darkens with time — something real gold leaf does not do.

Here you have real 6K white gold leaf, water-gilded onto a bole-prepared ground. The surface holds the depth that only a noble metal can produce — it does not dull, does not oxidise, does not shift colour with age.

The black sections — the central flat panel and the sides — are not coated with sprayed lacquer or vinyl wrap, but hand-painted and finished with wax. The result is a satin surface: deep, soft to the eye, without the plastic-like reflection typical of polyurethane lacquers. Wax wears slightly in exposed areas over time and can be refreshed in the workshop.

Mounting and hanging

The frame is supplied without glass — it is designed for a stretched canvas. The painting is fitted into the rabbet from the back of the frame. Two attachment systems are available, chosen from the variant menu:

• Spring clips — factory-made, self-tensioning, fitted in the workshop. They rotate aside when the painting is being seated. The standard option, fastest to use.
• Brass plates with screws — supplied loose with a full set of screws. You decide on their spacing and fit them once the painting is in the rabbet. A discreet, classical detail.

The frame is supplied with a steel hanging wire mounted on two D-rings. From the variant menu you choose the orientation — vertical or horizontal. On request, a single central D-ring can be fitted instead.

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 — how to order

The base price shown on the site is per linear metre of moulding. The perimeter of your painting is not the total length of moulding the frame requires — corners cut at 45° take additional length, more so the wider the moulding. The calculator accounts for full moulding consumption including corners, plus any optional extras: glass, backing, hardware.

How to order:

1. Measure the width and height of your painting to 0.1 cm.
2. Enter the dimensions into the calculator — the 2–3 mm technical clearance is added automatically.
3. Choose the painting attachment and hanging orientation from the variant menu.
4. Add the product to the cart and place the order.

Lead time: 20–30 working days from order confirmation. Water gilding cannot be accelerated without sacrificing the quality of the finish.

For larger formats, non-standard dimensions, or to add museum glass, archival backing or matting — please get in touch via the contact form or email. I will prepare an individual quote and confirm availability on request.