Making a reproduction frame

Artisan Frames is probably best known for making contemporary picture frames for working artists and each month we make a wide variety of frames for art exhibitions from paintings to photographs and fine art prints. Recently a client brought in an old oil painting that had lost its frame, probably to a mirror or other a different work of art, and so he asked if we could make a new frame for it that might suit as he had plans to sell it.
Looking at the picture which was in need of some repair we decided that a swept or cassetta frame might suit so we began going through our frame samples to see if we had anything that might suit. There was a lot of frames that came close but this needed something more so we set about making a custom frame based on a reproduction picture frame with some bespoke hand carved detailing that we thought would make an interesting feature to give the picture a lift while remaining sympathetic to the time of the painting itself.

Early French Portrait painting in a hand carved gilded frame.