COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 43, NO. 31 FRIDAY AUGUST 3, 2012
Antique Picture Frames - True Works Of Art S
antique frames. frame styles were only made for 5 frames currently omeone has stolen the years or less. The twentieth cenbeing made in art collection,” tury introduced new During the Civil War, walnut Europe.) The Rustic Inspector Lestrade said, was the wood of choice for wall style, a masculine styles. One of the most looking at a wall full of frames with mahogany veneer response to the forpopular twentieth cenempty frames. “Look again” said coming in a close second. mal Victorian era, tury art styles - Art Holmes as he pointed to Deco (circa 1926the wall. “Look closely at 1940) - was also transthe frames.” The lated into frames. Inspector still did not get Streamlined, mechaniit. Holmes understood cal, and cubic designs that the empty frames began to appear. were the art collection. Colors other than gold A good frame emphaand wood finishes sizes the item within and were popular Deco draws the eye to the piece. styles. The wrong frame can When buying an repel the eye. No frame at old frame, first look at all might make you disits style. Next, turn it miss the piece as unimover and look at the portant. back. Old frames The idea of framing should show old conpictures first occurred in struction. The wood churches in the 1300s. By on a wall frame the 1690s, Paris was the becomes darkened most important frame with age. Without making city. In the young these signs of age, you American Colonies in the may be holding one of 18th century, frames were the newer “antique” made from simple local styled frames. Frames woods or, for wealthy were reused over the patrons, imported from years and may show a England or France. These A rare and large bird’s-eye maple veneer from the 1830s. It is 20-1/8 A superb faux bois finish from the 1830s-1840s. 10-1/4 by 13-3/4 few nicks or chips or inches outside and 7-1/4 by 9-3/4 inches image size. ornate frames can be seen by 22-1/8 inches outside and 15 by 17 inches inside. moved hanger holes. on paintings from the late 1700s. Mahogany was available in many introduced wall frames made with imagine what can be mounted in Honest wear is not distracting to In the early 1800s, frame makers grades and price ranges. Wide pine cones, acorns and unfinished the frame. Does the frame’s style the old frame. Do try to avoid distract the viewer’s eye complete- missing composition, broken found that the shortage of skilled grained wood was cheap while wood. carvers and the time involved in tightly grained, fully figured woods In a rebellion to the cluttered carving, made ornate frames too were top of the grade. Frame mak- look of Victorian homes, a new expensive or unavailable to the ers began to offer many types of simpler movement came about. average person. They began to frames after the Civil War. About The Arts and Craft style used look for ways to speed up the 1870, an Englishman, Charles simple oak and natural finishes. These are usually found as wide dark oak frames. The later Mission style was similar, but favored lighter wood finishes. The Tramp Art style frames were made from notched wooden cigar boxes. Allegedly, Itinerant artists used found wood and crafted it into useful objects that they could sell. More realistically, regular frame makers adopted the A rare pair of gold-wash, thin, brass over wood examples with period silhoustyle. All of these styles are ettes from 1835. 4-1/4 by 5-1/4 inches outside and 3-1/4 by 4-1/4 inches inside. available to today’s frame ly away from the artwork? If so, it wooden parts, and any damage collector. Many frames may work with a portrait of a rela- that may distract from the item Brass photo frames made with flattened wire and metal leaves in an Art Nouveau mixed and matched styles, tive, but not much else. Collectors that is in the frame. style. Made in the 1880s-1890s. 7 by 10 inches od. Reproductions and Fakes some with artistic results of paper items should have a few of process. The answer was to create Eastlake, published a book, Hints and some that look awful. Try to their better pieces displayed in Crocodile, Alligator, and snake wooden frames with a separately on Household Taste, that set out skin covered frames can be found cast and applied decoration. The guidelines for how he thought furin much greater abundance than body of the frame was wood, but niture and architecture should look. were originally created in the the frame’s raised design was He inspired a style called 1920s and 1930s. English craftscarved in a separate wooden “Eastlake”. Eastlake frames were man are buying up old luggage, form. This form was filled with the rage in decorating. The easiest striping the skins off and refitting composition, a putty-like material style to find is a glossy black frame them to rather ordinary period that hardens and was then with incised simple white lines. frames. They sell for hundreds of attached to the wooden frame. dollars as old frames. Silver This Eastlake style was expanded Frames were created to fit in to put those lines on other wood frames are being reproduced and with the furniture styles that were finishes and then adding gilding to can be found in silver-like materipopular in their day - Modern, the edges of the frame. Charles als such as mylar (plastic). Look Victorian, Arts and Crafts, Art Eastlake, on a trip to America, was for a hallmark and signs of age. Nouveau, Art Deco, etc. From aghast to see how designs that bore Old metal frames tarnish or show 1830 to about 1850, formal his name had changed. For the marks of use. Without these, they frames around oil paintings were frame collector, there are some are suspect. Many Eastern usually covered in gold leaf or great examples and some incrediEuropean countries are starting to made of fine mahogany. Country bly tacky looking frames. make products for the west. They frames (less formal) were covuse old machinery and old molds, The Art Nouveau style, approxered in thin brass shells or had a imately 1890 to 1905, introduced and the reproductions look like simple rippled or grooved sur- flowing lines from nature. Art new old stock. face, sometimes with a painted Nouveau did not translate easily to What are the old frames false wood grain (faux bois). This the rectangular wall frame, but was worth? Anyone who has had a was supposed to make them look popular in metal table top frames. piece framed recently can tell you like expensive imported woods (Be warned that there are cast brass that a new frame can easily cost found on formal furniture. Some and iron Art Nouveau reproduction Elegant tramp art-style from the 1880s. It is 12 by 16 inches od. (Continued on page 2) By Stuart Schneider
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