Black and Gold Picture Frame — Made to Measure

A deep, profiled black picture frame with a hand-gilded inner lip — a setting with real gallery presence, made so the work can speak fully. The broad profile steps down from a high, rounded outer edge to a wide, flat field, and the deep matte black absorbs light to build a soft shadow from which the painting seems to emerge. A fine line of real gold leaf along the sight edge carries the eye exactly where it belongs — to the work itself. It is a device drawn from the Dutch and Flemish frame tradition, here distilled into a clean, contemporary form. The frame is made to measure in the workshop, from solid wood, with its lip gilded by the water-gilding method.

Which artworks and interiors it suits

This setting is made above all for oil and acrylic paintings on canvas — the depth of the rabbet accommodates a stretcher, and the deep black isolates colour beautifully, giving a saturated palette a strong, neutral ground. It takes prints, drawings, fine-art photography and watercolours equally well when paired with glass and a mat as part of the complete framing. The contrast of matte black and a narrow line of warm or cool gold gives a work genuine gallery character, so the frame belongs wherever a painting is meant to be an event: a living room, a study, a collector's wall, and in interiors that are classic and contemporary at once. You will find more dark settings among our custom picture frames, and guidance for oils in our note on frames for canvas paintings.

Specification

• Style: black gallery frame with a gilded sight edge, in the Dutch frame tradition
• Profile: wide, flat-fielded, milled — a high, rounded outer edge, a step down to a broad flat field and a small rounded bead beside the gilded lip
• Body finish: black, semi-matte (high gloss on request)
• Lip gilding: real gold leaf, water-gilded — a choice of 22-karat moon gold (cooler) or 23-karat yellow gold (the fullest classic warmth)
• Bole beneath gilding: selectable — red (classic), grey, Victorian grey, plum, black, brown, yellow, olive green, light blue
• Moulding width: 55 mm
• Moulding depth: 36 mm
• Rabbet: 7 mm wide; depth selectable — 13 mm or 20 mm, depending on the thickness of the work
• Material: solid, low-tannin timber of the kind used in museums and art conservation
• Corners: spline-joined mitres
• Glass: optional — four classes (see "Complete framing")
• Backing: optional — 3 mm Dibond panel
• Matting: optional — acid-free foam board
• Artwork fixing: spring clips (factory-fitted) or brass plates with screws (on request)
• Hanging: cord as standard, a single D-ring on request; portrait or landscape orientation
• Use: oil and acrylic paintings, prints, photography, works on paper
• Variant: also available as a floating (floater) frame, without a rabbet

The dimensions above describe the moulding, not the artwork. The finished frame spans the full width of the moulding, and the rabbet that holds the work is correspondingly smaller. We make each frame to the size of your particular piece, with a small technical allowance (about 2–3 mm) so the work slides in easily.

How it is made

The profile of this moulding is milled, and its lines lead the eye from the outer edge in toward the painting. On the outside the frame begins with a high, rounded edge — the tallest point of the setting, where the light catches. From there, through a gentle curve and a small step, the surface drops to a broad, flat field that inclines gently inward, forming a calm, matte ground for the work. Just at the opening the profile rises in a small, rounded bead, and immediately within it runs the gilded lip — a narrow, luminous border around the painting.

The body is painted by hand, layer over layer, in a curated, richly pigmented paint range. We finish the surface to a semi-matte sheen and seal it with traditional shellac and wax, giving a deep, saturated black with a soft, low lustre.

The lip is gilded by the water-gilding method: over the solid wood we lay a multi-layered ground (gesso and bole), followed by a single layer of real gold leaf. Unlike oil gilding, this technique allows the gold to be burnished with an agate stone to a deep, mirror-like sheen. Gold leaf comes in sheets of roughly 80 × 80 mm; for an edge this narrow it is cut with a gilder's knife on the cushion, exacting work done entirely by hand. The gilding is sealed with shellac and wax. We explain the technique in more detail on our water gilding page.

This frame is made to order, and two choices give the gilded lip its individual character. The first is the shade of gold: 22-karat moon gold is cooler and subtly silvery, while 23-karat yellow gold gives the fullest, most classic warmth. The second is the colour of the bole — the fine clay ground that sits just beneath the gold and shows faintly through the leaf, warming or cooling the edge. Classic red bole deepens the warmth of the gold; you may also choose grey, Victorian grey, plum, black, brown, yellow, olive green or light blue. It is exactly this level of choice that defines a bespoke frame, rather than one bought ready-made.

The corners are joined with wooden splines, for a durable joint and a clean meeting of the profiles around each mitre.

How it differs from mass production

The lip of this frame is finished in real water-gilded gold leaf — not gold paint or metallic foil, which dull and turn green over time. The body is solid wood, not foil- or veneer-wrapped MDF. Every frame is painted and finished by hand and built to the exact size of your work, rather than chosen from a handful of stock formats. We set out the difference between real gold and its imitations in our article on gold leaf versus Dutch metal.

Functionality

In its standard form, intended for oil and acrylic paintings, the frame comes without glass — the work sits directly in the rabbet. It is held from behind by spring clips (fitted at the workshop) or, on request, by brass plates with screws supplied with the frame (fitted by you). The frame hangs on a cord as standard, or on a single D-ring ordered separately; you choose portrait or landscape orientation in the product options. The same moulding can also be made as a floating (floater) frame, without a rabbet — the canvas then appears to hover within the frame, with a visible gap around it.

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.

Ordering made to measure

To order a frame made to measure: measure the width and height of your artwork to within 0.1 cm (for example 35 × 30.2 cm), enter the dimensions in the calculator on the product page and add the product to your basket. We make the frame with a small technical allowance (about 2–3 mm) so the work slides in easily. In the product options you also choose the shade of gold (22-karat moon gold or 23-karat yellow gold), the colour of the bole beneath the gilding, the hanging orientation (portrait or landscape) and the rabbet depth (13 mm or 20 mm) to match the thickness of your work — the shallower depth for works on thin supports, the deeper one for chunky canvas stretchers.

The price of the finished frame is calculated automatically: the calculator adds an amount based on the perimeter of the artwork to a base price, so the final figure appears as soon as you enter the dimensions. The calculator handles works up to 120 × 80 cm; larger formats are made to individual order. The black body is finished semi-matte as standard — high gloss is available on request. The lead time is 20–30 working days. For complete framing with glass and a mat, please get in touch and we will prepare an individual quote.

Frequently asked questions

Is the gilding real gold?

Yes. The lip is finished in real gold leaf, applied by the water-gilding method — never gold paint or imitation. You may choose 22-karat moon gold or 23-karat yellow gold.

Can I choose the gold and the bole colour?

Yes. In the product options you choose the shade of gold (22-karat moon gold or 23-karat yellow gold) and the colour of the bole beneath the gilding — from classic red to grey, plum or olive. The bole shows faintly through the thin leaf and gives the edge its own warmer or cooler tone; it is part of what makes each frame bespoke.

Does it suit an oil painting on canvas?

Yes. The deeper rabbet (20 mm) takes a canvas stretcher, and oil paintings are set without glass. The same moulding can also be made as a floating (floater) frame.

Can I add glass and a mat?

Yes, as an option (complete framing) — a choice of four glass classes, Dibond backing and acid-free matting. The quote is individual; please get in touch with your dimensions.

How is the price calculated?

The calculator adds an amount based on the perimeter of your artwork to a base price; the finished-frame price appears once you enter the width and height.

What is the lead time?

20–30 working days.

The artwork shown in the photographs is for presentation only; the offer is for the frame alone.

The image shows a frame gilded with 22-carat moon gold on a red clay base. These are the default product menu settings, meaning that by clicking “buy” you will receive exactly what is shown in the photo. If you wish to choose a different color option, please change the settings in the menu.

Please note: The painting is not for sale; only the frame is available for purchase.