Frame - Antique box-frame in Empire/Restoration style - Gouache-gilded wood - Italy - Early of the

A refined and authentic antique box frame with multiple rows of mouldings, datable to the first half of the 19th century (early Empire / Louis XVIII period). The wooden construction features an elegant profile with deep grooves and hollows alternating with mouldings, creating an extraordinary play of light and shadow.
The gilding is strictly original to the period, executed in water gilding on red bole, visible at natural wear points where chipping occurs.
The surface shows a splendid patina of time with the typical and finely executed craquelure of the plaster preparation. The back in solid wood retains a wonderful patina of dark oxidation and old traces of period lining paper.
A high-quality antique piece, ideal for housing antique paintings or mercury mirrors.
Technical specifications and dimensions:
Era: Early decades of the 19th century (circa 1810–1830)
Technique: Water gilding with gold leaf on bole
Material: Solid wood, plaster preparation
External maximum dimensions: 43 x 32 cm (thickness: 4 cm)
Internal dimensions (opening for painting/mirror): 34 x 23 cm
Conditions: Good overall condition, structurally sound. It shows fascinating and natural signs of time, small losses of gilding revealing the underlying bole, and very slight surface defects consistent with its two centuries of age. Genuine item and never recently restored.