Wide Hand-Painted Picture Frame, Made to Measure, 98 mm

This is a wide hand-painted picture frame made to measure for large paintings on canvas. The moulding is 98 mm wide and 45 mm thick, so the frame stays visible around a big canvas instead of disappearing into the wall. I make every frame to the dimensions of your painting, paint it by hand and patinate it in the colour you choose. For more on matching moulding width to the size of a work, see my guide to a wide wooden frame for a painting.

Frame profile

A small inner border, formed in the same moulding as a separate plane, sits at the edge of the painting. A shallow cavetto follows, then a broad flat. A further recess leads into a wide, deep scotia. At the outer edge a raised narrow flat closes the profile and is its highest point. The side of the moulding has its own hollow and a step, visible when the frame is seen at an angle.

Specification

• Style: wide hand-painted frame with a stepped, hollowed profile
• Finish: hand-painted and hand-patinated, sealed with wax, satin sheen
• Moulding width: 98 mm
• Moulding thickness (face to back): 45 mm
• Rebate: 7 mm wide, 20 mm deep
• Material: wood with a low tannin content, of the kind used in museum and conservation work
• Corners: mitred at 45° and reinforced with wooden splines
• Colours: 18 options in the product menu
• Glazing, backing and mat: additional options, priced individually
• Mounting and hanging: spring clips as standard, brass screw plates on request; picture wire as standard, single D-ring on request; portrait or landscape chosen when you order
• Suited to: large oil and acrylic paintings on stretched canvas; prints, drawings, watercolours and photographs when glazed

In the calculator you enter the size of the painting, not of the finished frame. The moulding adds close to 20 cm to the outer size of the framed piece in both directions, so check how much wall space the whole will take before you order.

Which paintings and interiors suit a wide frame

I suggest this profile above all for larger oil and acrylic paintings on canvas, including landscapes, portraits and still lifes. A wide moulding marks the edge of the composition firmly. Around a small work it can dominate, so compare it with narrower models among my custom picture frames.

The frame also suits prints, drawings, watercolours and photographs. For these I choose the glazing, the distance between the work and the glazing, and the materials that touch the work. Dark colours emphasise the outline of a painting, while whites and greys give a calmer result.

Colours, hand painting and patination

I apply the paint in layers, then gently rub back the edges and the raised parts of the profile by hand to bring out its shape. The patination is part of the finish and is intended. I seal the surface with wax, which leaves a satin sheen.

The menu runs from whites and greys through browns and greens to navy, plum and black: Champagne White, Champagne White retro, Pale Blue, Light Coffee Brown, Earthy Grey, Warm Grey Brown, Marine Navy, Brownish Grey, Dark Grey, Light Bottle Green, Dark Green, Deep Green, Deep Grey, Chocolate Brown, Dark Brown, Dark Plum, Blue Black and Black. In the black version the red base coat shows through the top layer in places. I can also match a colour to a sample you send me.

How the frame is made

I cut the corners at 45° and reinforce them with wooden splines. Only when the frame is assembled do I prepare the surface for painting. Patination and the wax finish are the last stages. Every frame is made to the dimensions of one particular painting.

How it differs from a mass-produced frame

A stock frame comes in set sizes and a short list of colours. This one is made to the size of your painting, painted and patinated by hand in the colour you choose, with the surface prepared and painted after the corners are joined.

Frame only or complete framing

For a canvas on a stretcher I make the frame alone, with fixing from the back. Oil and acrylic paintings are often framed without glazing, and I match the fixing to the depth and construction of the stretcher. The rebate is 20 mm deep as standard. A thicker stretcher bar needs the frame adjusting, so tell me its depth before you order. For more on framing oil paintings, see framing oil paintings.

For works on paper I can prepare a version with 4 mm Opti White glass, a low-iron glass of neutral colour without the green tint of ordinary float glass, and a backing board. Glazing needs a gap between the work and the glass, which spacers or a mat provide.

I can also make the same profile without a rebate, as a floating frame. The canvas then sits inside the opening with a visible gap around its edge. This version needs the dimensions and the fixing agreed individually; my guide to a floating picture frame for canvas art explains how it works.

Frequently asked questions

Is a 98 mm frame suitable for a large painting?

Yes, the moulding is made for larger formats as well. Up to 180 cm around the perimeter you can price the frame in the calculator. For anything larger, or for an unusually heavy work, send me the dimensions and we will agree the construction and hanging first.

Will a 25 mm stretcher bar fit?

The standard rebate is 20 mm deep. A thicker stretcher bar, including 25 mm, needs the frame adjusting, so tell me its depth before you order.

Can I order just the frame, without glass?

Yes. For a painting already stretched on its bars I can make the frame alone, with fixing from the back. Glazing and materials for works on paper are agreed separately.

How long does it take?

Production time is 20–30 working days. It can be longer when the workshop is busy, as the notice on the website says. If you need the frame for a specific date, confirm it with me before ordering.

Complete framing: additional options

Every frame I make can be completed with conservation-grade low-reflection UV glazing, an acid-free mat, spacers and a Dibond aluminium composite backing, which together make up museum-quality conservation framing. The materials and their size limits are described on my page about archival and museum framing for paintings and photographs. Everything beyond the frame itself is priced individually.

Mounting and hanging

I fix the canvas with spring clips that can be turned aside to take the painting out. On request I can supply brass screw plates with screws, delivered loose, for permanent fixing. The standard hanging is on picture wire; a single D-ring is available on request. Choose portrait or landscape hanging in the order menu.

Ordering made to measure

Measure the width and height of your painting and enter them in the calculator to 0.1 cm, then choose the colour and the hanging orientation. Give the real size of the work, without adding any allowance: I allow 2–3 mm of clearance when making the frame.

The base price shown on the page is the price per running metre of moulding. The perimeter of the painting alone is not all the moulding a frame needs: the corners are cut at 45° and take extra length, more of it the wider the moulding is. The calculator includes the full moulding used with the corners, together with the extras you select.

For this moulding width the calculator handles artworks up to 180 cm around the perimeter; anything larger is made to individual order, so send me the dimensions and I will price it. If you need glazing, a backing, a different fixing or a size the calculator does not price, contact me before buying.

Production time is 20–30 working days. If you need the frame by a particular date, please write to me first.