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| Antique Frames |
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Decorators occasionally use an empty frame to set off a much smaller picture, either hung within its confines on the wall or placed atop a chest or on the floor while leaning against the wall. Architect Bobby McAlpine positioned a large frame in front of an even larger tapestry cartoon in his own residence. Mounted on a custom stand with a picture light at the bottom, it harks back to the days when pictures were hung atop tapestries.
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Long ago, paintings in personal collections were more
likely to be taken down and studied, so the frame played a more protective
role in some respects. Artists' interest in frames ran the gamut --
as did their tastes -- from James McNeill Whistler's carefully
selected frames considered integral to the works themselves, to the
salvaged secondhand frames used by the Impressionists, to no regard for the
frame at all. This sometimes arbitrary nature of framing complicates the
matter. "Original is important but it's not always good,"
says Methner. "There are times to follow and times to break the
rules. Knowing when and how to do so is where expertise is critical."
Frames themselves are considered a player in the
decorative arts, rather than the fine arts in which they are literally
placed. Like furniture, they often mirror the prevailing style of
architecture, and some of the terms used to describe them make this
connection apparent. Acanthus-leaf ornament with egg-and-dart moldings,
fluted frames with Greek-key patterns, sgrafitto, composition ornament,
center cartouches, and foliate sprays -- all describe attributes of
furniture, architecture, and frames. Antique frames have complexities that require an
expert eye, but once even a novice begins to consider the work as a whole
-- picture and frame working together as a unit -- it's hard to
imagine that these frames were ever out of favor. Recently, lectures at
prominent auction houses have addressed framing concerns, and books, such
as Paul Mitchell and Lynn Roberts' A History of European Picture
Frames, Jacob Simon's The Art of the Picture Frame: Artists, Patrons,
and the Framing of Portraits in Britain, and The Gilded Edge: The Art of
the Frame, edited by New York dealer Eli Wilner, are good sources for
study. Wilner has been at the forefront of the push to unite paintings with
appropriate period frames and writes, "I hope never again to pass a
garbage can and find a discarded frame peering out."
| CULTURE CLASH |
| To avoid marrying a timeless work of art with a potentially trendy framing job, seek out a professional framer or a gallery that specializes in antique period frames. Don't rely solely on a designer or commercial frame shop to choose the frame, but do take a designer along to the specialist if you wish. Often, several historically and aesthetically appropriate options will be presented, so once certain criteria are met, personal taste moves to the forefront. Keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with selecting a good quality reproduction of a period frame to keep costs down. |
| FRAMES AS SCULPTURE |
| "Frames have their highest and best use when they're successfully paired with a great painting," believes Mark Methner of McColl Fine Art. However, some collectors and designers like the graphic appeal of antique frames and collect them as pieces of art in and of themselves. As prices for good antique frames can range from a couple of thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars, consider the following questions. |
| · Is the frame sufficiently decorative or sculptural, suggesting it could work for a mirror? |
| · Is it of a standard size? Has it been inappropriately resized, compromising its proportions? |
| · Has it been signed, dated, or labeled? |
| · Are there missing elements or obvious signs of damage? |
| · Does the frame retain its original finish, and is it in good condition? |
RESOURCES: All frames and art from McColl Fine Art,
704/333-5983, mccollfineart.com.
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