Explore picture frames that bring together two of the oldest crafts in fine art framing: traditional water gilding with genuine gold leaf, and multi-layer hand-painted finishes. Each frame in this collection is built to order in my workshop, combining hand-carved profiles, red bole grounds, and bespoke colour work to produce pieces with the depth, warmth and presence of antique gilded frames — without the compromises of mass production.
This collection brings together hand-crafted frames in which genuine gold leaf and hand-applied colour work are treated as equal partners. Real metal leaf — 22 karat moon gold, 23 karat yellow gold, 12 karat white gold or palladium — is laid by hand using the traditional water gilding method on a coloured bole ground, while the surrounding panels, sides and ornament are finished with successive layers of paint, pigment, wax and shellac. The result is a frame with the optical depth and warmth of a museum piece: light moves across the surface, the gilding glows from within, and the painted areas hold the eye instead of fighting it.
What makes a gilded and painted frame different
A pure gold leaf frame is uniform and bright; a painted frame is matte and quiet. A partially gilded and painted frame deliberately balances the two. Painted bands, recessed panels, sides or carved ornament sit next to burnished or matte gilding, and the contrast lets each surface do its proper job — gold for radiance, paint for grounding. I build these frames using the same materials and joinery that conservation framers and antique restorers use, which is why my work is often specified for oil paintings, icons, watercolours on paper and contemporary fine art that needs more than an off-the-shelf moulding.
Practically, this kind of finish is achieved through:
- Water gilding on red bole for the metal-leaf areas, allowing burnishing to a high polish or a soft matte finish.
- Multi-layer paint and pigment work on selected panels and sides — wiped back between coats to build tone and translucency.
- Hand-rubbed wax, shellac and toner finishes that age the surface and harmonise the gilded and painted zones.
Choose the frame for the artwork, not the wall
A frame should be chosen for the painting first and the interior second. The artwork is the subject; the frame supports it. Colour, texture and the choice of gilding all have to respond to the picture — its palette, its period, its scale — so the frame reads as part of the work rather than a decorative border. A well-chosen gilded picture frame for a painting will look correct in almost any room, because the harmony is between frame and image, not frame and sofa. Where you hang it is background.
Types of gold leaf I use
Different leafs produce very different light. I work with all of the standard fine-art options:
- White gold and 6 karat gold leaf — cool, silvery tone with a delicate sheen. Suits contemporary work and cool-palette paintings.
- 12 karat gold leaf — sits between gold and silver; a calm, slightly green-toned finish often used on modernist and early-20th-century work.
- 22 karat moon gold leaf — soft, warm glow without the intensity of pure yellow gold. A favourite for icons, portraits and 17th–19th century pieces.
- 23 karat yellow gold leaf — the deepest, most saturated gold; the classic finish for traditional gilded picture frames, Old Master oil paintings and museum-grade presentation.
For clients looking for a custom gold leaf frame in a specific tone, I will sample two or three leafs against the actual artwork before committing.
Bole — the colour under the gold
The clay bole applied beneath the leaf is not a hidden detail — it shapes the final colour of the gilding. Where the leaf is later worn back, the bole shows through, and that is exactly what produces the depth associated with antique gilded picture frames. I work with:
- Red bole — the traditional choice; warms the gold and gives the classic antique gilded frame look.
- Victorian grey, black, blue, green and plum bole — used to cool, sharpen or unusually tint the gold; particularly useful for contemporary and museum-conservation work.
On request, every frame in this collection can be specified with a bespoke combination of leaf and bole.
Hand-carved, mortise-and-tenon construction
Every frame here is built to last. I use traditional mortise-and-tenon (tongued and grooved) corner joinery rather than simple mitres held with v-nails, because the joint has to remain stable under the moisture cycling and weight of a gessoed and gilded surface. Profiles are hand-carved or hand-shaped before gesso is applied; the result is a frame that holds its line for decades and that, structurally, belongs to the same family as the historical pieces it references. This is what handmade gold leaf framing actually means — not a printed finish on a factory moulding, but a frame built the way a conservation studio would build it.
Best suited for
- Oil paintings on canvas and panel
- Icons, religious and sacred art
- Old Master and 17th–19th century works
- Watercolours and works on paper that need traditional presentation
- Contemporary fine art commissioned to museum framing standards
- High-value photography, prints and limited editions
Bespoke and made to measure
Every piece in this category can be ordered as a custom gilded picture frame in any size, with the profile, leaf, bole and painted finish chosen for the artwork. If you already have a painting and need the frame built around it, send dimensions and an image — I will return a specification and a price. If you are looking for inspiration first, browse the category below; each model can be reworked in a different colour, scale or gilding combination.
Looking for a different style? If you want a pure metal-leaf finish without painted elements, see my category of fully gilded picture frames. For a deeper look at how the technique itself works in the workshop, read my technical guide to the water gilding process.
Distressed picture frame white gold
Handcrafted frame in pure sterling silver leaf, designed for oil and acrylic paintings on stretched canvas. The deep 80×48 mm profile takes stretchers up to 30 mm thick; the surface is softened with patina and selective rubbing — silver here moves like light, not a mirror. Made to measure, on commission only....
Carved and gilded picture frame
Hand-carved picture frame, partially gilded with 23-karat yellow gold leaf. Twisted rope mouldings run along the outer and inner edges, separated by a wide, hand-patinated frieze. Solid timber to conservation standard, made to measure....
Black and Gold Gilded Picture Frame, Made to Measure
A hand-finished solid-wood picture frame: deep satin black paired with a narrow band of genuine 22-karat gold leaf laid over red bole by traditional water gilding. The full, rounded profile and its softly shadowed hollow give oil paintings a calm, gallery-grade setting. Made to measure for your canvas, with a choice of gold tone and bole colour....
Rama do obrazu na wymiar – złocenie 23 K i różne warianty kolorystyczne
Rama do obrazu wykonywana na zamówienie z litego drewna wysokiej jakości. Przeznaczona do oprawy malarstwa, grafiki oraz fotografii. Dostępna jako rama pusta lub w wariancie ze szkłem....
Rama do obrazu na wymiar – zielona, postarzana, profil wklęsły
Rama do obrazu wykonywana na zamówienie z drewna wysokiej jakości, przeznaczona do oprawy malarstwa, grafiki oraz fotografii. Dostępna w wariancie ramy pustej lub ramy ze szkłem OptiWhite. Każdy egzemplarz powstaje w podanym wymiarze, z zachowaniem standardowego luzu technicznego....
Rama do obrazu na wymiar – szeroka, postarzana, profil odwrócony
Rama do obrazu wykonywana na zamówienie z drewna wysokiej jakości, przeznaczona do oprawy malarstwa, grafiki oraz fotografii. Dostępna w wariancie ramy pustej lub ramy ze szkłem OptiWhite. Każdy egzemplarz powstaje w podanym wymiarze, z zachowaniem standardowego luzu technicznego....
Black picture frame with Flemish corners in 22-karat moon gold — Casina 2
A black picture frame with Flemish corners, hand-built from solid timber and water-gilded with 22-karat moon gold leaf on red bole. A contemporary reading of the seventeenth-century Flemish framing tradition. Made to measure in Karol Milewski's workshop....
Luxury gilded picture frame — 23-karat gold leaf, Flemish corners
An artisan-made, museum-quality gilded picture frame for canvas — a collector frame in the form of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish workshops. A broad satin-black frieze counterpointed by a narrow edge gilded with 23-karat yellow gold leaf on red bole. A 100 mm profile with the distinctive Flemish corners....
Bespoke picture frame gilded white gold 12ct
Custom picture frame painted black and gilded white gold leaf 12ct.
Casina 10 — Black Picture Frame with Hand-Gilded Detail, Made to Measure
A wide made-to-measure picture frame in deep black, in the Dutch manner — stepped cyma on the outer edge, smooth frieze, narrow gilt lip hand-laid with genuine gold leaf (23K classical or 22K moon gold over red bole, your choice). Solid linden, spline-joined mitres....
Wide Black Picture Frame with 23K Gold Leaf — 110 mm
A wide black picture frame with a hand-gilded 23-karat gold leaf inner edge over red bolus — an architectural, cascading profile in deep matte black, closed by a warm band of gold along the sight line. Solid timber, handmade in the workshop, designed for oil paintings, canvases on stretchers and works with strong colour weight....
Rama do obrazu na wymiar – złocona złotem płatkowym 23K
Rama do obrazu na wymiar, ręcznie złocona złotem płatkowym 23K, zaprojektowana jako spokojna, elegancka oprawa dla malarstwa, grafiki i fotografii artystycznej. Wąski profil 25 mm podkreśla dzieło bez dominowania nad nim, a tradycyjna konstrukcja z litego drewna gwarantuje trwałość i stabilność przez lata. To propozycja dla osób, które szukają klasycznej, rzemieślniczej ramy wykonanej metodami, które nie poddają się produkcji masowej....
Wide brown picture frame with gold leaf, made to measure
A wide, made-to-measure brown picture frame with a sight edge gilded in real gold leaf. The deep brown and a fine, warm line of gold create a calm, gallery-style setting for oil and acrylic paintings on canvas — hand-made from solid timber....
A brown made-to-measure picture frame in solid wood, hand-painted and distressed. A classical, multi-element profile — a setting for oil paintings on stretchers, prints and photographs....
Custom Picture Frame “Casina 12” – Wide White Frame with 22K Gold Accents
Casina 12 is a wide white picture frame, handcrafted to measure — built around a dominant 120 mm frieze and gilded along the inner edge with genuine 22-karat moon gold leaf. The architectural section, satin white surface and the cool, restrained brilliance of the precious metal produce a setting with a gallery presence, calibrated for contemporary oil and acrylic painting and for fine-art photography....
Rama do obrazu na wymiar – złamana biel, złoto płatkowe 23K, efekt spękania
Rama do obrazu wykonywana na zamówienie, łącząca złamaną biel, subtelne spękania i ręczne złocenie złotem płatkowym 23K. Tradycyjna konstrukcja i rzemieślnicze wykończenie tworzą oprawę zaprojektowaną z myślą o wieloletniej ekspozycji dzieła, a nie chwilowym efekcie dekoracyjnym....
Black painting frame with 6K white gold leaf — made to measure
Black painting frame with two milled shapes in 6K white gold leaf, separated by a flat band of deep, satin black. Hand-built to measure in the workshop — solid wood, traditional water gilding, classic 72 mm moulding....
Black & Moon Gold Custom Picture Frame — 22-Karat Gold Leaf
A made-to-measure picture frame in deep satin black with a hand-gilded inner bevel in 22-karat moon gold leaf, laid on grey clay bole and burnished with agate. Solid low-tannin timber, mortise-jointed prior to finishing. The cool, almost silver-cast moon gold reads against the matte black with the precision of a museum mount....
Hand-Carved Gilded Picture Frame for Oil Paintings, Custom Made
A handcrafted, deep floating frame for paintings on stretched canvas — built without a rabbet, with the inner side wall painted in colour. Latte front, soft grey outer side, moulded edges in 23-karat hand-applied gold leaf. 33 mm moulding depth; built as standard for a 10 mm canvas stretcher (20 mm option in the variant menu)....
Classical Picture Frame in Greys with 12-Karat White Gold Leaf
A classical architectural picture frame finished in two carefully matched shades of grey, with two raised mouldings gilded in genuine 12-karat white gold leaf and a fine 3-millimetre gold pinstripe set between the painted sections. The cyma, half-round torus and broad frieze are drawn from architectural mouldings — and the colour, gold tone and mounting hardware are fully customisable....
Gold Picture Frame — Hand-Gilded Made-to-Measure Frame for Canvas
A deep, made-to-measure frame for canvas paintings, hand-built from solid timber and gilded with genuine leaf. Five finishes available: classic 23-karat yellow gold, cooler 22-karat moon gold, 6-karat white gold, the same moon gold in a satin variant with the side gilded as well, and palladium with hand-painted black sides. Single-torus moulding with an almost square cross-section, 44 mm wide; rabbet up to 40 mm deep accommodates deep stretcher bars....
Deep custom picture frame, gold gilded and painted
Deep picture frame custom gilt and painted
Floating Picture Frame – American Box
Handcrafted American Box frame with 23ct gold leaf detailing
Rama do obrazu złocona złotem płatkowym
Rama do obrazu złocona złotem księżycowym na wymiar.
Black painting frame, made to measure, with gilded edge — 6K white gold leaf
A handcrafted black painting frame made to measure, with a single band of 6-karat white gold leaf running along the outer edge of the moulding. A modern 45 mm moulding — the entire front a single sloped face in satin black descending toward the artwork; the outer edge of the moulding gilded in 6-karat white gold leaf over blue bole. Solid timber, mitred corners reinforced with wooden splines, water gilding by hand....
Modern picture frame — 6-karat white gold leaf, made to measure
A handcrafted modern picture frame in solid wood, water-gilded in 6-karat white gold leaf on red bolus. A narrow, flat profile and a cool, near-chrome reflection — a frame made to measure in the workshop, for contemporary painting, photography and prints....
Picture frame gilded yellow gold 23.5 ct gold
Frame for framing large formats paintings streched on thick stretchers
Custom picture frame for all depth of canvas. Gilt with genuine gold leaf.