Made-to-Measure Gilded Picture Frame – White Gold Leaf & Black

A made-to-measure gilded picture frame finished in 6-karat white gold leaf over red bole, with hand-painted black. The deep, profiled moulding – 79 mm wide and 67 mm deep – carries the eye inward and gives a painting a settled, timeless surround. It is made entirely in the workshop, from selecting the timber through the gesso ground to gilding and burnishing, with no mass-produced parts. It is intended for oil and acrylic paintings, works on canvas, prints and photographs in medium to larger formats.

The moulding

The shape follows a historical profile used in framing for several centuries. Reading from the artwork outward: a narrow lip at the rabbet is gilded in 6K white gold, giving a cool, almost mirror-like glint right at the edge of the painting. The profile then rises over a rounded bead, also gilded, before falling away into a broad, deep hollow finished in satin-sheen black. The black face sweeps up to a tall, gently rounded crest, and a fine line of white gold closes the outer edge. Cool white gold set against hand-painted black draws a clean, decisive outline that frames the work without competing with it.

Specification

• style: classic historical profile, deep moulding
• moulding width: 79 mm
• moulding depth: 67 mm
• rabbet: 7 mm wide; the deep profile accommodates a stretched canvas or board
• material: solid, low-tannin timber of the kind used in museums and art conservation
• finish: 6K white gold leaf over red bole, hand-painted satin-sheen black
• sealing: traditional shellac and wax
• corners: cut at 45° and joined with wooden splines
• artwork retention: spring clips (brass plates with screws on request)
• hanging: cord – portrait or landscape
• lead time: 20–30 working days

The dimensions you give are those of the artwork. The frame is made to the size of the work – the rabbet is cut 2–3 mm larger than the piece, so it sits in freely while the moulding overlaps the front by about 4–5 mm.

Paintings and interiors it suits

The 67 mm depth and generous width let the frame carry oil and acrylic paintings on stretchers, works on canvas and larger formats that need a defined border, as well as prints and photographs glazed under glass. The pairing of cool white gold and black is deliberately versatile: it sharpens the outline in modern and minimal interiors, yet sits comfortably in classic and gallery settings where restraint matters. It belongs to the workshop's gold-gilded and partially painted picture frames; if you are unsure which frame suits the work, the guide to types of picture frames for canvas paintings is a good starting point.

How it is made

The lengths are cut and joined at 45°, reinforced with wooden splines before any gesso is applied. The surface is built up with layers of gesso and a red bole, on which the gold is laid.

The gilding is done by water gilding, with leaves of 6-karat white gold. The leaves are laid one beside the next with a slight overlap, then burnished with an agate stone. The result is an even, cool, almost mirror-like shine – 6K is the coolest, most silver-like gold in the workshop, clearly different from warm yellow gold. The gold is laid evenly, without rub-throughs, so the edges stay clean and full of light.

The black areas are painted by hand; the visible brushwork is a natural mark of hand finishing and gives each frame its own character. The whole frame is sealed with traditional shellac and wax, which deepens the black and protects the gilding.

How it differs from mass production

This is not a length cut from a ready-made, factory-lacquered profile. The shape is milled from solid wood, gessoed, gilded with real gold leaf and painted by hand – every stage carried out by one person in the workshop. Mass-produced framing usually replaces gold with sprayed lacquer or metallised foil; here it is genuine 6K leaf, water-gilded and burnished with agate. The depth, and the way the surface answers the light, cannot be reproduced industrially. The workshop makes only a limited number of frames each year, so every one is built singly, for a particular painting.

Options and variants

The frame can be ordered in three configurations:

• Empty frame – for oil and acrylic paintings and work on stretchers; the piece is fitted quickly, by hand, with no tools.
• Floating (shadow) frame – made without a rabbet, for a canvas on a stretcher that should appear to float within the frame, with a visible gap around the edge.
• Glazed frame – for prints, photographs and works on paper; glass and archival options are described below.

The base price is for the frame at a base size. Because the moulding is made and gilded by hand, the cost of larger formats follows the length of moulding used (measured by the metre) and the fact that each of the four corners, cut at 45°, consumes an extra length of profile. The calculator works out the exact price for a given size.

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.

Fixing and hanging

For a painting on canvas or a stretcher the frame is made without glass. The work is held in the frame by spring clips fitted as standard, which let you insert and remove the piece quickly. On request these are replaced with brass plates and screws (supplied loose, installed by you, a permanent fixing).

Hanging is by cord as standard, portrait or landscape according to the menu choice. On request the frame can be prepared for a single D-ring.

Ordering made to measure

Simply give the dimensions of the artwork and choose the bole colour and the shade of gold. Besides 6K white gold, the following are available: 12K white gold (warmer), 22K moon gold, 23K yellow gold, and a range of bole colours under the gilding: black, green, blue, plum and Victorian grey. The painted areas need not stay black – they can be finished in another colour, from a curated, richly pigmented paint range. The calculator handles formats up to 120 × 80 cm; larger sizes are made to individual order. Lead time is 20–30 working days. For help deciding, see the guide on how to choose custom picture frames.