Black picture frame with moon gold trim for oil paintings

This black picture frame with moon gold trim carries its gold on one element only: a small concave arc set a step back from the painting. The flat step at the sight edge stays black, so a narrow band of black runs between the canvas and the gold line. I lay the arc in 22-karat moon gold leaf, paler and cooler than yellow gold, so it lightens the face of the frame without adding warmth to the painting. The rest of the moulding is painted black by hand to a satin sheen. It belongs among my black picture frames.

Frame profile

The gold sits on a small concave arc just behind a black flat step at the sight edge. The arc rises from the step and at once falls away into a broad hollow that takes up most of the moulding's width. The lowest point of the hollow lies level with the inner edge, and from there the surface climbs gently towards the outside. Along the top of the outer side runs a narrow step, and a quarter-round (ovolo) completes the section. The outer side is undercut in a shallow curve, which makes the frame look lighter from the side.

Specification

• Style: black frame with a broad hollow and a gilded concave arc near the sight edge
• Finish: hand-painted black with a satin sheen, sealed with traditional shellac and wax
• Gilding: the concave arc behind the flat step, in 22-karat moon gold leaf, water gilded on red bole and burnished with an agate stone; 23-karat yellow gold, 12-karat or 6-karat white gold on request
• Moulding width: 75 mm
• Moulding thickness (face to back): 52 mm
• Rebate: 7 mm wide, 10 mm or 20 mm deep, chosen in the order menu
• Material: timber with a low tannin content, of the kind used in museums and art conservation
• Corner joinery: mitred corners reinforced with wooden splines
• Glazing, backing and mat: optional extras, priced individually outside the calculator
• Mounting: sprung clips as standard, brass screw plates on request
• Hanging: picture wire as standard, a single D-ring on request
• Use: oil and acrylic paintings on stretchers, painting panels and other rigid supports

I make the frame 2 to 3 mm larger than the painting so it fits the rebate without strain; the moulding then overlaps its edge by about 4 to 5 mm.

Which paintings and interiors it suits

Because the broad hollow falls away from the painting, the black stays back from the work instead of pressing against its edge. That suits strongly coloured oils and acrylics on canvas, but also monochrome work and, with glazing added, drawings and fine art photographs, where the black gives the composition a firm border.

Moon gold is cool and slightly silvery, so it does not pull a painting towards warm yellows the way 23-karat gold does. With greys, blues and greens, and with contemporary painting, it gives a quieter result than a classic gold frame, while the red bole under the leaf warms the line just enough to keep it from turning bluish.

In a room it works where the painting is meant to be the focal point rather than part of the decoration: a study, a library, a formal living room or a collector's room. If you are still weighing up a particular canvas, my guide on how to choose a frame for a canvas painting covers the main questions.

Craftsmanship and finish

I cut the moulding at 45 degrees and join the corners with wooden splines before any finishing, so each corner is fitted in the bare wood and stays closed through changes in humidity.

The assembled frame is primed with several layers of gesso, smoothed and painted black by hand. On the concave arc I lay a red gilding bole, smooth it, and only then apply the gold by water gilding: leaf beside leaf, with an overlap of about 1 mm. That is a single layer of real gold; only the ground beneath it is built up in layers. Once it has dried, I burnish the gilded line with an agate stone to a dense, even shine; the whole frame is then sealed with traditional shellac and wax.

The leaves measure about 80 × 80 mm, and for an element this narrow I cut them with a knife on a gilder's cushion. Each piece has to be laid into the concave recess without creasing, since every cut and overlap shows at close range.

How it differs from mass production

The body of the frame is timber, not MDF or foil-wrapped foam. The gold line is real gold leaf laid by water gilding, not a print, a foil or a paint imitating gold. The corners are splined and the finish is done by hand, so the depth of the black and the shine of the gilding differ slightly from frame to frame. I do not keep this frame in stock: it is made after you order it, to the size of your painting.

Functionality

I supply the frame without glazing, prepared for a painting on a stretcher. The rebate depth is chosen in the order menu under picture thickness: 10 mm is enough for thinner stretchers and rigid supports, while 20 mm also takes the thicker stretchers common in contemporary painting. The same profile can be made without a rebate as a floating frame, where a narrow gap separates painting and moulding; my article on the floating picture frame for canvas art explains when that makes sense.

Frequently asked questions

Is the whole frame gilded, or only one element?

Only the small concave arc behind the flat step carries gold; the step, the broad hollow and the outer edge are painted black by hand. It is a painted frame with gilded accents rather than a gilded frame.

Which gold tone should I choose for an oil painting?

The standard is 22-karat moon gold on red bole. On request I gild the arc in 23-karat yellow gold for a stronger, warmer shine, or in 12-karat or 6-karat white gold, noticeably cooler and close to silver. The bole can change too: red, the default, warms the gold from beneath, while grey quietens and cools it. If you are unsure, send me a photograph of the painting and I will match the tone to the work rather than to a catalogue.

Can this frame take conservation-grade low-reflection UV glazing?

Yes. It leaves the workshop without glazing, because it is made for paintings on stretchers, but for a drawing or a photograph I can complete it with conservation-grade low-reflection UV glazing, an acid-free mat and a Dibond backing, priced individually.

Can a gilded frame be made within a tighter budget?

Yes, by changing the profile rather than the gold: a narrower moulding takes less leaf and less handwork per metre, while the gilding stays real gold leaf. Send me the size of your painting and I will suggest a simpler section.

Complete framing – additional options

Every frame I make can be completed with full archival and museum-quality framing: anti-reflective UV-filtering glass (four classes to choose from), acid-free museum mat board, spacers wrapped in acid-free paper and a Dibond backing. This kind of mounting protects the work from light, acids and distortion. I set out the full glass and material specification on a separate page: archival and museum framing for paintings and photographs. All components are available at extra cost, as an individual quote on request.

Mounting and hanging

This frame is intended for paintings on canvas and stretchers, so it does not include glass as standard. To hold the painting, I fit sprung retaining clips as standard; they pivot to the side, so the canvas can be removed and replaced quickly without tools. On request I supply brass plates with screws instead (provided loose, for permanent self-installation). The hanging orientation, portrait or landscape, is chosen at checkout. Picture wire is standard, with a single D-ring available on request.

Ordering made to measure

The base price shown on the site is the price per running metre of moulding. The perimeter of the painting is not the full length of moulding a frame needs: corners cut at 45 degrees take extra length, and the wider the moulding, the more they take. The calculator accounts for the full moulding consumption with corners and for any options you choose, so you only need to enter the dimensions of your painting. The calculator accepts artwork up to a perimeter of 180 cm, the limit set for a moulding of this width; larger formats I make to individual order, so please write to me first. The lead time is 20 to 30 working days.