Black and Gold Gilded Picture Frame, Made to Measure

A black and gold gilded picture frame in which the satin depth of black meets the warm glow of real gold leaf. A slender gilded sight edge runs close to the painting and draws the eye inward, while the broad, rounded black profile closes the composition in a quiet, gallery setting. Conceived for oil and acrylic paintings on stretcher, it carries the old-master tradition of black-and-gold framing in a proportion that sits equally well in a contemporary, premium interior.

The profile reads in a clear sequence from the inside out. At the painting sits a rabbet 7 mm wide, and beside it a slender, slightly raised sight edge carrying the 22-karat gold over red bole – the only gilded element of the moulding. The surface then falls into a half-round hollow, a softly shadowed cove that visually separates the warm gold from the black. The hollow rises into a full, rounded ovolo – the dominant mass of the profile, over which light travels in a soft highlight. A small step crowns the ovolo, and a narrow outer fillet closes the moulding towards the back. The profile is milled, and its final character comes from hand painting, gilding and patination rather than carving.

Which artworks and interiors it suits

Black and gold is the classic pairing for framing oil paintings – from portraits and landscapes to still lifes and old-master copies. The slim gold edge lifts the darker passages of a canvas and gives the work a gallery presence, while the deep black quietly contains the composition without competing with it. The frame is at home in an elegant, classical interior and on a gallery wall, and its clean rounded line carries equally well in contemporary and transitional schemes. It is made for collectors, galleries and owners of original painting who want a hand-painted and partially gilded frame built to last.

Specification

• Style: classical gallery frame in the old-master tradition, transitional in character
• Finish: satin black, wax-finished, with a narrow gilded sight edge; 22-karat gold over red bole, burnished with an agate stone, sealed with shellac and wax; subtle hand-patination revealing the warm bole
• Moulding width: 80 mm
• Moulding depth: 42 mm
• Rabbet (sight): 7 mm wide; depth sized to the stretcher (typically up to approx. 20 mm, deeper to order)
• Material: solid, low-tannin timber used in museum and conservation work
• Gilding: genuine 22-karat gold leaf, water gilding (multi-layered ground preparation of gesso and bole, followed by a single layer of gold leaf)
• Corner joinery: mitred at 45° and reinforced with wooden splines
• Glass, backing, matting: available as options (see Complete framing)
• Artwork retention: spring clips as standard; brass plates with screws on request
• Hanging: cord; portrait or landscape orientation to choose; single D-ring on request
• Use: oil and acrylic paintings on stretcher
• Lead time: 20–30 working days

The dimensions you order refer to the artwork. Each frame is made 2–3 mm larger than the canvas for an easy fit, with the sight edge overlapping the artwork by roughly 4–5 mm. You simply order your painting’s size; the moulding adds its width on the outside.

How it is made

The moulding is cut at 45° and joined at the corners with wooden splines before any finishing – this stage is what gives the frame its stability and long life. Only the assembled frame goes on to the next steps.

The black is built from a richly pigmented, artisan paint range, applied and smoothed by hand to an even satin surface and finished with wax. The sight edge is prepared the traditional way: a gesso ground, red bole, burnishing with an agate stone, and then laying genuine 22-karat gold leaf. The leaves, around 80 mm to a side, are laid one beside the next with roughly a millimetre of overlap – those fine joins are visible in the burnished gilding, and their evenness is the mark of real water-gilded gold. The edge is lightly patinated with pigmented wax so the warm red bole shows through in places. I use genuine gold rather than imitation – the differences between gold leaf and Dutch metal are hard to see in a photograph but decide the longevity and value of the frame. The whole is sealed with shellac and wax, in the manner of traditional gilding.

How it differs from a mass-produced frame

In mass production, gold is usually replaced by metallic paint or cheap foil, and the profile is wrapped in a ready-made film. Here the gold is real, laid by hand over bole, and the black is built up in layers and waxed, not foiled. Corners joined with wooden splines will not open over time, and the low-tannin timber will not discolour the finish. Every frame is made for a specific painting, in a workshop that takes on a limited number of commissions each year – hence its individual character and the small, hand-made variations in finish, which are a feature of the craft rather than a flaw.

Function

The frame is supplied without glass, as a setting for a painting on stretcher. As standard, the canvas is held by factory-fitted spring clips – simply rotate them to remove or change the painting, which makes swapping quick. On request I include brass plates with screws for a permanent, self-installed mount.

The frame takes stretchers and thinner painting supports; for deeper stretcher bars the rabbet is made deeper to order. It hangs on a cord, with portrait or landscape orientation chosen in the product options; a single D-ring is fitted on request.

Every frame can also be made as a floater (shadow) frame, without a rabbet – the canvas on its stretcher then appears to float within the frame, with a visible gap and the canvas edges exposed; this is standard in contemporary painting and premium framing.

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

Each frame is made to the size of your painting. Besides 22-karat gold over red bole, other gold tones are available – 23-karat, and 6-karat and 12-karat white gold – along with bole in grey, green, blue, plum and Victorian grey, so the temperature and character of the gilding can be tuned to the work.

The base price shown is the price per linear metre of moulding. The perimeter of the painting is not the whole length of moulding a frame needs – mitred 45° corners add extra length, and the wider the moulding, the more they add. The calculator accounts for the full use of moulding including the corners, plus any chosen extras: glass, backing and mounting.

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

Lead time is 20–30 working days. Get in touch with the dimensions of your painting and your preferred gold tone and bole colour, and I will prepare a quote and confirm the details.

Frequently asked questions

What artworks suit this frame?

Oil and acrylic paintings on stretcher – portraits, landscapes, still lifes and old-master copies. As a floater (shadow) frame it also suits contemporary canvases.

Is it real gold?

Yes. The sight edge is gilded with genuine 22-karat gold leaf over red bole, by water gilding and burnished with an agate stone. I do not use imitation or Dutch metal.

Can I change the gold tone or bole colour?

Yes. 23-karat gold and 6-karat and 12-karat white gold are available, with bole in grey, green, blue, plum and Victorian grey.

Does the price include glass?

No. The frame is supplied without glass. Glass, backing and matting are available as archival options – quote on request.

Are black-and-gold frames still in style?

Black and gold is a timeless gallery convention. Its restrained, transitional character also sits comfortably in modern interiors, alongside more classical settings.

How large can you make it, and how long does it take?

The calculator covers artworks up to 120×80 cm; larger formats are made to order. Lead time is 20–30 working days.