"Have you ever considered in the early history of painting, how important also is the history of the frame maker? It is a matter, I assure you, needing the very best consideration. For the frame was made before the picture. The painted window is much, but the aperture it fills was thought of before it."

​

John Ruskin, circa 1872

​

Framing borders existed in art long before the picture frame. The Egyptians and Greeks, among others, used borders on pottery and in wall paintings to divide scenes and ornamentation into sections. Eventually, art objects such as Classical Greek mosaics became more important in their own right and the framing devices took on another function.

​

Moveable frames appeared as early as the 13th century, but it was the Renaissance Italy, in the 14th and 15th centuries, that frame designs began to evolve as separate entities from the picture. Framed religious painting were built into altarpieces and ornamented with architectural elements that echoed the exteriors of great cathedrals.

​

As the role of the artist began to change, the art of frame making likewise evolved. The Italian Renaissance saw the rise of the artist-patrons: wealthy noblemen who commissioned allegorical, devotional and portrait paintings. Frames were no longer all of one piece with the painting. Trained in many artistic disciplines, including gilding, sculpture and architecture, it would not have been unusual for a painter to create his own gilded or painted frames.

Fra Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Lorenzo Lotto, and Della Robia all designed frames of their own works. By the Renaissance, there was little difference in status between artists and frame makers. Successful sculptors and architects were taking commissions for frame design. Artists of the stature of Leonardo da Vinci were known to have gilding frames.

 

In the 19th century, new technology and economic growth spurred the production of new types of art and frames throughout the Western world. European artists of the late 19th century were busy experimenting with original frame profile designs and tonality. French artists Degas and Seurat were painting or stippling frames and mats to harmonise with their paintings; American expatriate James McNeill Whistler was busy designing frames in varying colors of gold to complement his subtle tonalist works.

 

In the 20th century, the relationship of art and frame evolved further. Cubists Braque and Picasso used empty period frames as inspiration, sometimes altering their patinas or incorporating the profile shapes into their art works.

​

The long history of art has allowed for different interpretations of framing to develop and exist contemporaneously. In this era, a frame evokes more discussion and invites more interpretations. Frames have almost become the new multi-cultural icon. And the journey continues ......

​