Frame - Wood - Blue lacquer gilt corners

Gilded wooden frame with interlocking corner joints and original blue lacquer decoration. Italy, early 20th century. MADE IN ITALY.

The profile is a deep hollow cove, wide and generous, that draws the eye inwards and gives real depth to whatever you put inside it: this is a frame that works like a window, not like a border.

What makes it special is the corners. They are built with interlocking joints - the four rails locked into each other rather than simply mitred and glued - the way frames were made when the joinery had to last longer than the person who cut it. On each corner the original dark blue lacquer survives, painted with fine leaf scrolls that stand out against the gold. Blue and gold together are an unusual, aristocratic pairing: you find them far less often than the plain gilt frames of the same years.

The gilding is original and worn in the honest places, where the cove catches the light and the hand. Nothing has been refreshed or repainted - what you see is what the last hundred and twenty years have left.

A frame of this size carries a serious painting, a large print or an important mirror, and is handsome enough to hang on its own.

External measurements 49 x 59 cm, inner sight size 35 x 45 cm. Good condition, with the normal signs of age and handling, exactly as shown in the photos. Careful packaging and tracked shipping worldwide.