Black painting frame, made to measure, with gilded edge — 6K white gold leaf

A modern black painting frame — a 45 mm moulding in satin black with a single band of gilding along the outer edge. The gilding is done in genuine 6-karat white gold leaf, applied by water gilding over blue bole. 6-karat white gold is the coolest leaf in traditional gilding — it reads almost like polished chrome, noticeably cooler than yellow 23-karat or moon 22-karat gold. The frame belongs in the family of painted and partially gilded picture frames, where the contrast between deep black and a cool metal builds a distinct, but undominating outline around the artwork.

The moulding profile shows three planes from the viewer's side. The entire front is a single sloped face descending toward the artwork, finished in satin black. The vertical inner side of the moulding and the short sides — in the same satin black. The outer side of the moulding — the flat, vertical band running around the frame on the outside — is gilded in 6-karat white gold leaf. It is the only gilded element on the profile. The rabbet sits on the inner edge of the frame, where the artwork is seated.

What it suits

The 152WG profile sits well with works built on contrast — black-and-white and fine-art photography, minimalist printmaking, monochrome watercolour and ink, abstract and expressionist painting with strong gestural forms. The cool band of white gold along the outer edge creates a subtle, almost architectural caesura between the wall and the artwork.

In interiors the frame works in modern, loft and gallery spaces — in minimalist living rooms, in Scandinavian-style apartments with darker accents, in spaces with an industrial character, where the black closes the composition and the chrome-like band introduces a quiet note of luxury without the ornamental weight of classical mouldings.

Specification

• Style: modern, minimalist
• Front (sloped face) and side finish: satin black, hand-waxed
• Outer edge finish: 6-karat white gold leaf over blue bole, burnished with an agate stone, sealed with traditional shellac and wax
• Moulding width: 45 mm
• Moulding depth: 35–40 mm
• Rabbet: width 7 mm × depth 15–20 mm
• Material: solid timber of a low-tannin species, used in museum framing and art conservation
• Corners: mitred and reinforced with wooden splines (a conservation technique)
• Artwork retention: spring clips fitted in the rabbet (standard); brass plates with screws supplied loose on request
• Hanging: cord (standard); single D-ring on request
• Lead time: 20–30 working days

The dimensions above describe the moulding itself. The overall outer size of the frame and the rabbet opening depend on the size of the artwork — the online calculator automatically allows 2–3 mm of technical clearance on each side.

Workshop process

Built from solid timber of a low-tannin species — a species used in museum framing and art conservation for its dimensional stability and chemical neutrality. Corners are mitred and reinforced with wooden splines (a wooden tongue inserted across the 45° joint), a conservation-grade technique.

The sloped face and all sides of the frame are hand-painted in black, from a richly pigmented studio paint range. The satin finish is achieved by hand-waxing — it gives a soft, silky sheen, without the gloss of lacquer.

The outer side of the moulding is gilded in genuine 6-karat white gold leaf, applied by water gilding: multi-layered ground preparation (gesso and blue bole), followed by a single layer of 6-karat white gold leaf. The surface is then burnished with an agate stone to a cool, almost chrome-like reflection. The gilding is sealed in the traditional manner — with shellac and wax.

6-karat white gold is the coolest leaf in traditional gilding — distinctly paler and cooler than yellow 23-karat or moon 22-karat gold. The differences between leaf types are covered in the article on gold leaf and Schlagmetal.

How it differs from mass production

The 152WG profile is not a ready-made moulding from a wholesaler. Each frame is built in the workshop from scratch: timber cut and joined to the customer's exact artwork dimensions, corners reinforced with wooden splines rather than stapled with steel clips, the face hand-painted in layers. The gilding is in genuine 6-karat white gold leaf — not Schlagmetal or foil — applied over the proper multi-layered ground (gesso plus bole).

Small, irregular variations in the burnishing and finish — natural to handwork — are part of the handmade character of the frame, not a flaw.

Functionality

The frame is sold without glass, as a setting for a stretched canvas, panel or other rigid support. The 15–20 mm rabbet depth accommodates a standard or medium-depth stretcher. Each frame can also be made without a rabbet, as a floater frame.

Complete framing — additional options

Every frame can be completed with a full archival mounting prepared in the workshop: glass (Opti White 4 mm, Ultra Vue UV70, Art View, Optium Museum Acrylic), Dibond 3 mm aluminium composite backing, and acid-free foam board matting. Quote on request.

Artwork retention and hanging

Standard: spring clips factory-mounted in the rabbet. On request: brass plates with screws, supplied loose. Standard hanging is by cord. Portrait or landscape orientation is chosen from the variant menu at the time of order.

Made to measure

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

Personalisation: colour of the bole (red, grey, green, black), type of leaf (6K white, 12K white, 22K moon, 23K yellow, palladium, silver), front finish (satin or high gloss), or a different front colour. Other black picture frames are available in the corresponding shop category.