Wide dark brown picture frame, made to measure

This dark-brown picture frame is made to measure from solid wood, hand-painted and patinated in the workshop. A warm, near-black brown is worked over a red ground that shows through the patina along the raised parts of the profile, giving the wood the depth of a finely aged, old-master frame. The wide 67 mm moulding gives a painting a strong, quiet border that never competes with the canvas. The frame is supplied without glass, as a frame for an oil painting on a stretcher up to 20 mm deep; it can also be made with glass for framing a print, watercolour or photograph.

The moulding is rounded and cushioned, with soft, flowing light and shade and no flat fields. On the inside, the frame opens with the rabbet – the inner rebate that holds the canvas. A fine raised inner edge with a rounded bead runs along the sight edge, and from there the profile rises through a slight step to its main motif: a broad, domed crown that forms the axis of the whole section. From its ridge the surface falls towards the outer edge in a long, gentle cove, closed by a narrow quirk and a softly rounded outer edge. Drawn this way, the frame catches light across its full width and gives the painting a deep, generous setting.

Specification

• Style: classic, gallery / rustic
• Finish: hand-painted dark brown with patina and a red ground showing through on the raised parts of the profile
• Moulding width: 67 mm
• Moulding depth: 36 mm
• Rabbet: 7 mm wide × 20 mm deep (takes a stretcher up to 20 mm thick)
• Material: solid, low-tannin timber of the kind used in museums and art conservation
• Corners: mitred at 45° and reinforced with wooden splines
• Glass: optional extra – quote on request
• Backing: optional extra (3 mm Dibond panel) – quote on request
• Fixing and hanging: spring clips or screw-fixed brass plates; hung on cord
• Mount: optional extra (acid-free foam board) – quote on request
• Use: oil painting on canvas, prints, drawings, watercolours, photographs

The dimensions above refer to the outer size of the finished frame including the moulding. The frame's sight size (the opening) is correspondingly smaller. We make every frame to the size of your artwork – please give the dimensions of the work, not of the finished frame.

Which paintings and interiors it suits

This is first of all a frame for oil paintings on a stretcher – the wide, deep moulding and dark brown give the work a solid, gallery-style border without competing with its palette. It suits landscapes, still lifes and portraits, and, in the glazed version, prints, drawings and photographs. The warm, patinated finish sits naturally in classic, rustic and vintage interiors, as well as eclectic schemes where dark wood balances a contemporary backdrop. You can read more about choosing a moulding for canvas in our guide to types of picture frames for canvas paintings and our notes on wide wooden painting frames. We also explain the specifics of framing stretched oils on our framing oil paintings page.

How it is made

The moulding is cut from solid wood and joined at the corners with mitred, spline-reinforced joints before finishing, which keeps the corners clean and stable. The surface is hand-painted in successive coats of warm dark brown over a red ground. We then apply the patina by hand, revealing the red beneath on the raised parts of the profile – the look of naturally aged, well-worn wood. The finish is sealed in the traditional way with shellac and wax, which deepens the colour and gives a soft, satin sheen. Each frame is made individually, to the exact size of your painting.

How it differs from mass production

High-street frames are usually made from foil-wrapped lengths or printed MDF. This one is solid wood, painted and patinated by hand – we set the colour and the depth of the patina for each order, and cut the profile from an original moulding section kept in the workshop. It is not a stock frame in fixed sizes but a frame built to the size of your work. If you prefer an even darker look, see our black gesso picture frame.

Fixing and hanging

The frame is supplied without glass, as a frame for stretched canvas. The painting is held in the rabbet in one of two ways: with spring clips fitted at the workshop (turn them aside to swap the canvas) or with screw-fixed brass plates (supplied loose with screws for a permanent fixing you fit yourself). You choose the orientation – portrait or landscape – from the product menu, and the frame is prepared to hang that way. It hangs on cord as standard; a single D-ring 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.

Made to measure

We make the frame in the colour of your choice from a curated, richly pigmented paint range, in any size. Just give us the dimensions of your painting – we allow for the technical clearance when we build it.

The base price shown is the price per linear metre of moulding. The perimeter of the painting is not the whole length the frame needs – the 45° corners take extra length, and the wider the moulding, the more they take. The calculator accounts for the full length with corners and for any extras: glass, backing and fixings.

The same moulding can also be made as a floater (shadow) frame without a rabbet, leaving the stretched canvas visible in a narrow gap around the painting.

The online price calculator supports artwork sizes up to 120×80 cm. Larger formats are made to individual order – please get in touch.

Lead time: 20–30 working days.

FAQ

Will it fit an oil painting on a stretcher?

Yes. The rabbet is 20 mm deep, so the frame takes a stretcher up to 20 mm thick without glass. The deep, wide moulding is designed for oils on canvas.

Can it be ordered with glass for a print or photograph?

Yes. On request we add glass (from clear Opti White to anti-reflective UV-filtering glass), a Dibond backing and an acid-free mount – ideal for works on paper and photographs.

How do I give the size?

Give the size of the artwork itself (not the finished frame) to the nearest millimetre – e.g. 40.2 × 50.5 cm. We add about 2–3 mm of clearance so the canvas sits easily in the rabbet.

How is this different from a narrower brown frame?

This moulding is wider (67 mm) and deeper, with a rounded, domed profile and a darker, near-black brown. It gives a stronger, more gallery-like setting than the narrower models.

What is the lead time?

Usually 20–30 working days. Formats larger than 120×80 cm are quoted individually.