Gold Leaf Picture Frame for Oil Paintings – 23-Karat, Water-Gilded

Rather than a flat, ornamented moulding, this frame rests on a single, full convex arch covered in genuine 23-karat gold leaf. The form stays restrained, and its strength comes from the agate-burnished gold, which gives a depth and mirror brightness that no imitation finish can match. It is a frame for an oil painting on canvas or a stretcher – for portraits, landscapes and works that deserve an authentic, water-gilded setting.

The moulding profile

Seen from the artwork side, the moulding begins with a narrow fillet at the rabbet, which rises into a full convex face spanning the whole width, closing on a rounded outer edge. The cross-section is almost square – 32 mm wide by 31 mm deep – giving the moulding a substantial presence despite its modest face width. The surface is smooth and unornamented, machine-routed; the entire relief is formed by the convex curve alone. The gilding is burnished to a high, mirror-like sheen.

Specification

• Style: contemporary-classical gallery frame
• Finish: 23-karat gold leaf, water gilding on red bole, burnished with an agate stone, hand-patinated
• Profile: bold, semi-round, smooth, unornamented, machine-routed
• Moulding width: 32 mm
• Moulding depth: 31 mm
• Rebate: 7 mm wide, 17 mm deep (20 mm to order); holds a stretcher up to 15 mm thick or thinner substrates
• Timber: solid low-tannin wood used in museum work and art conservation
• Corners: mitred at 45°, reinforced with wooden splines
• Floater version: available (no rebate; the painting appears to float)
• Lead time: 20–30 working days

Dimensions refer to the artwork, not the outer edge of the frame. I make the frame 2–3 mm larger than the artwork (the technical clearance needed to insert the work easily), and the lip overlaps the piece by about 4–5 mm. In the calculator, simply enter the artwork dimensions to the nearest 0.1 cm.

Suitable artworks and interiors

The 17 mm rebate holds a stretcher up to 15 mm thick, or thinner substrates, so this frame suits oil and acrylic paintings on canvas – portraits, landscapes and still lifes. For deeper stretchers I make a 20 mm rebate version to order. I also use the same frame for commemorative parchments and for photographs with a mat or on spacers. The deep gold lifts dark, saturated oil palettes, while the smooth, unornamented profile sits comfortably in both classical and contemporary or gallery interiors. If you would like to compare options, I explain the choices in my guide to types of picture frames for canvas paintings. For contemporary work, a floater version is also available, in which the painting appears to hover inside the frame.

Workmanship and finish

I make the frame from solid low-tannin wood used in museum work, joining the corners with wooden splines mitred at 45°. Once the moulding is prepared, I lay down gesso and red bole, then water-gild it with 23-karat gold leaf, placing each leaf beside the last with a slight overlap so they form one continuous layer. This is traditional water gilding: after it dries I burnish the gold with an agate stone to a mirror sheen, hand-patinate it to control the depth of shine, and finally protect it using traditional methods. You can see this frame alongside the others in my gold-gilded picture frames.

What sets it apart

Unlike mass production, I use genuine gold leaf on wood rather than a print, foil or paint effect. The mirror brightness comes from water gilding and agate burnishing, not from spray. The moulding is solid wood, not MDF or aluminium, and the corners are joined with wooden splines rather than staples. The whole finish – from gesso to patina – is done by hand and tuned to the individual painting.

Functionality

For paintings on a stretcher, no glass is needed – the canvas sits directly in the rebate from the back, and a 15 mm stretcher has enough room. If you are framing works on paper, a watercolour or a photograph, the frame can be completed with glass, backing and matting, including museum glass with a UV filter. Photographs and parchments can be set on spacers or behind a mat so the work does not touch the glass – the options are described below.

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.

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.

Made-to-measure ordering

To order, simply measure your artwork and enter its dimensions into the calculator on the site, to the nearest 0.1 cm. The base price shown is the price per linear metre of moulding. The artwork's perimeter alone is not the full length the frame needs – the 45° mitred corners consume extra length, more so as the moulding gets wider. The calculator accounts for the full moulding consumption with corners, plus any add-ons you select. The online price calculator supports artwork sizes up to 120×80 cm; larger formats are made to individual order. The lead time is 20–30 working days. I can also make a deeper 20 mm rebate to order, for stretchers thicker than 15 mm, and build this frame as a floater, without a rebate.

FAQ