Books on frame styles and types
 

Hello Everyone,

Would someone on here kindly give me advice on which are the good books to look up for studying framing styles (Italian, French etc.). I am not looking for a book that teaches me how to frame. I would like to do some reading on various styles of frames, history and types of frames (wood, gold leaf etc.)

Thanks!

Mai

Mai,

You can find some books of this type in my bookstore: http://portraitartist.com/bookstore/frames.htm

Mai, since you mentioned history of frames I thought I'd chime in with a bit of trivia I read recently.

The practice of framing paintings originated from the time when all paintings were done on walls (frescoes, etc). The molding that is used on walls at ceilings and floors was also used to divide these painted sections from one another.

When oil painting came along and enabled artists to do major paintings on a separate surface, artists and their patrons had become so used to seeing paintings surrounded by these wood or plaster patterned strips of molding that the idea of a frame came to be.

(Now we all have another factoid we can use to totally bore our friends at the next party we go to.)

Cynthia,

Thanks for the information. I will look those up.


Michele,

This is interesting :)