Framing an Antique Print

[vintage frames]

How about a little picture-framing innocence.
A customer brings in a valuable antique mezzotint - The Blacksmith's Shop by Richard Earlom (after Joseph Wright of Derby)

The edges are torn and uneven so the first thing to do is trim off the excess paper and so gain an even border all around.
Then to prevent any annoying rippling, put it in the Hot Press and stick it firmly down to whatever sort of board comes in handy.

Now cover it with a nice clean white front mount.

For a frame, well jazz it up with a big faux antique goldie frame.
Tidy - as some would say here in Wales.

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The customer lived with it for a few years but all the time felt that something was not quite right.

So I made him a more period appropiate frame and had the print presented close-framed with the border hidden deep inside a wide rebate.
The profile is shaped in polished fruitwood and has a worn water-laid gilded sight edging.

One then takes it to Justin for some decent picture framing where he provided boards, glazing and fitting up behind the wooden paper wrapped spacers.

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Delicious cups of tea, a wander around his beautifully landscaped gardens and back to a now delighted customer.

[pramsay13]

I agree that the newer frame looks better but I'm not sure I can get on board with trimming and dry mounting valuable artwork.

[vintage frames]

No-no, not me.
I was only trying to recreate the scenario in the previous framers workshop.

[JKX]

Did the customer agree to the trimming and dry mounting, or have no clue until the frame was opened?

I don’t understand the need to trim the paper when concealed under a mount anyway. Terrible practice.
The mount is also bottom weighted when the print itself already is - looks bad.

Personally I’m no fan of close framing work on paper, I’d have suggested a mount, and not a plain single mount either, in a different colour and with the margins wider than that bottom paper margin. If it were not dry mounted and the customer insisted on close framing then that would mean the usual problems of keeping the spacers away from the artwork.

[vintage frames]

I don't really know much about the history of this job but the customer has had it on his wall for a few years and more or less hated it because it was totally out of context with the period of the mezzotint.
These early 19th cent. prints were always presented close-framed in some sort of a stained fruitwood frame, usually a Hogarth style profile.
In order to give it a little more importance, i used a scooped hollow type shape and high lighted the dark interior with a thin scooped gilded sight edge.

The previous framer had done a mechanically competant job but betrayed their complete innocence of any knowledge as to how to treat or frame an antique artwork.

I got the print sent to me and made the frame with a very deep rebate so as to close-frame up to the edge of the plate mark and used 6mm thick spacers to seperate the glazing from the paper.

[Tudor Rose]

The previous framer had done a mechanically competent job but betrayed their complete innocence of any knowledge as to how to treat or frame an antique artwork.

Or, playing devil's advocate here, they were framing to the instructions and requests of the customer, who then regretted their design choices.

Not saying it happened either way, because none of us were there, but always wary of assuming why something was done a certain way. It would be unusual for a framer to be handed a print and just do their own thing with it, rather than have time at the design desk with the customer making choices.

Tastes change over time - affordability of better options changes over time - greater appreciation of art often changes over time. All could be a factor in having it redone, without wanting to admit to any personal errors in design choices in the first place. Or were they even the ones to get it framed the first time? Was it perhaps done by a "dealer" who should know better but actually just wants to sell the image, quite often to tourists and the like, and that was an easy and affordable option. All are possible.

[vintage frames]

Absolutely, Jo.
Everything you say is completely valid.

I only posted all this because first I wanted to show-off how good a job I did and how clever I can sometimes be, and second to raise an awareness of best practice for the authentic presentation of antique art.

Showing how it was previously framed in the 'Good Bad and Ugly' section illustrates how not to display such a rare antique mezzotint.

If anyone doesn't see what's wrong, then maybe that's an opportunity for them to do a bit more fieldwork on the subject.

[JKX]

This is how I would treat it were it mine - balance wise anyway - maybe a slightly narrower frame actually.
It’s what I’d suggest to anyone bringing the loose print in too.

Conservation wise a mount slip isn’t the best, but I’d put it between a double mount. No worse, at least, than a paper wrapped wooden spacer directly on the artwork.

I know it may not be true to how things were done all that time ago, and if a customer really wanted that then no problem - no rules.

I’d be able to mount it using no adhesive too.

I’ve used your frame and also taken your sight edge for the mount slip - so if you got it back for the correct treatment - you could easily reduce things.


Ai couldn’t make the mount margins equal for some reason.
Probably covered the plate mark too.

A few faint tea stains on the mount might add some “character”

[vintage frames]

The first thing that would worry me about your suggestion is - that's a very big picture.
And now I feel that the print image is very much diminished within that setting.

But putting aside the individual preferences of both customer and framer, adding a modern mount takes the presentation totally out of context with the period.
As I said earlier, these mezzotints were always close-framed within ebonised fruitwood surrounds but as long as all parties are aware of this, then at least the final descision is fully informed.

I havn't bothered to discuss any of the mounting procedures as we all know how best to approach this.

[JKX]

I don’t think we (all) do.

It wasn’t an issue in this case as it’s dry mounted.
If it was a loose print the same framing style would he problematic and the best methods have been quite regular topics here and on TFG.

Maybe this has been framed and reframed many times over the years and originally it was wet mounted with animal skin glue and close framed with no protection from the frame and possibly a slip used as a glass spacer.
Maybe it was trimmed to remove the acid burn that caused, to prevent further migration. Maybe the paper was so badly cockled/buckled from nasty old methods dry mounting was accepted as a fix!
If I’ve seen this sort of damage you surely have.


I’m having a really interesting discussion with. Ai, I may copy it and post it later - it does bang on a bit.

[JKX]

Here’s the link - I think it may start at the end and you’ll have to scroll up.
Excuse typos and white lies !


https://chatgpt.com/share/6a075f78-ff34 ... d0a93bafea




..

[vintage frames]

Well, personally I don't see why you would want to introduce a mount against that print.
If that was the way you'vd done it, then fine.

But the customer brought it to me and was prepared to pay me lots so as to make a sympathetic frame and present it in a more authentic manner.

And my customer is happy - and that's what its all about.

[Tudor Rose]

John, the AI chat was an interesting read. Especially as this week was the first time we'd had a customer who had tried out options using AI before coming in. She then chose something entirely different, but interesting that she tried it in the first place.

What I got from it though was that it agreed with how it has been reframed by Dermot - but it was open to the idea that the option you'd suggested could also be justified, especially when the point was pushed a bit. But with the caveat of why that style would be from a later period.

Which effectively is what we do with framing anyway - there is seldom only one right answer, it depends how you ask the question! We offer suggestions and advice, the customer has their input, a decision gets made.

Personally I prefer how Dermot has reframed it. Especially as the remit was a more authentic frame. And it is a beautiful job.

[vintage frames]

I told you Jo had good taste.