ANTIQUE WOOD PICTURE FRAMES
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In this video we see Massimiliano Gurrieri, the carver of the Federici Workshop, performing a handmade carving for the creation of a Bolognese carved picture frame for a painting of Guido Reni. Looking at the fingers of the carver let us know how small are the dimensions of the ornaments. It is a typical acanthus leaf finely worked with gouges very much known between antique wood picture frames.
For his painting, the client ordered this reproduction of a seventeenth-century Bolognese frame inspired by our model code 02 visible on our website.
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The substantial difference between our standard model cod. 02, which we propose on the site in our antique wood picture frames gallery and the reproduction of the antique frame represented in the video is in having considerably reduced the decorative leaf elements. Our client meant this change since the painting by Guido Reni is small and very detailed. We surly think He made a good choice.
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The difficulty of carving lies in its small size. A small error of assessment can easily break one of the leaves of the ornament. Note, if possible, the edge of the chisel, which through a slight incision, made just with the force of the fingers, allows the carver digging the wood creating the volume and the shape of the ornaments.
As in any antique wood picture frames, the first part of the execution is based on the design and the partition of the modules of the ornament that are repeated along the sides. The next step in this procedure is to engrave the wood with the chisel following the marks traced on the moldings. The carver then proceeds to dig the excess of wood and give it the shape that the leaf must have at the end.
Finally, we see the third step, which is determined by a sort of cleaning that is done diligently to remove the excess of wood parts. From here on, the leaf will be seen clearly and will appear clean, tidy and precise.
The last step is to create slightly rounded incisions, in the center of the leaf, with the intention of interrupting the excessively flat surface of the ornament.
Swiss pine wood was used for this carving. It is a softwood that has been widely used in Western Europe for antique wood picture frames and for decorative elements to be applied upon furniture. It is, in fact, a high-quality wood that keeps very well over time and it is easy to be carved for its property.
This frame turns out to be very suitable for Emilian school paintings made during the 17th century. Obviously, we think that it can also be used for other types of paintings. Moreover, with such small carved surfaces, it is good for framing paintings very much detailed as the landscapes.
After the carving procedure, the frame will be ready to be gilded. We start with gesso and we finish with bole before applying the gold leaf. The last step to finish the frame is dark the bright surface of the gold. This reproduction of an antique wood picture frame should look like an authentic frame of Baroque art.