The Frame Blog

A large and varied sale of frames, this will be held at the Castello Mackenzie in Genoa on Tuesday 15 April 2025, from 3.00 pm local time. Viewing is from 11-14 April.

Note that in the catalogue the dimensions aren’t consistently given as height before width, although the frames below have their measurements in the right order as far as is possible to determine. This is also why for one lot the orientation of the image here is landscape, rather than portrait as in the catalogue. Note, too, that Italian frames have often been regilded and repainted, without its being recorded in the entries.

Lot 2: 17^th-18^th century octagonal carved and ebonized frame;  bolection profile; a band of ripple moulding at the back edge and the sight edge; 22 x 17.8 cm. (but check entry); estimate: €300-400 https://www.cambiaste.com/uk/auction-1017/cornice-guilloche-di-forma-ottagonale-in-legno-intagliato-ed-ebanizzat-326359

Lot 5: 16^th century Venetian Sansovino frame; complex profile; symmetrical about the vertical axis; pilaster panels on the vertical sides; sculptural eared scrolls crossed by shot C-scrolls; with centre clasps on all but top rail, where they are replaced by a disgruntled-looking cherub in a collar of feathers; finished in lacquered black paint and gilding; 64 x 53.8 cm.; estimate: €3,500-4,000 https://www.cambiaste.com/uk/auction-1017/cornice-tipo-sansovino-in-legno-intagliato-dorato-ed-ebanizzato-veneto-332252

Lot 8: 18^th century carved giltwood frame, with torus profile; the torus with centred and bound imbricated bay leaves, described as tulips; all but traces of the gilding have vanished; 70 x 55.5 cm.; estimate: €600-800 https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/cornice-rettangolare-in-legno-intagliato-con-tracce-di-doratura-xviii–329390?action=reset

Lot 11: late 17^th century Baroque carved walnut frame, possibly Piedmontese; profile stepped in convex/concave mouldings; with five orders of ornament: leaf tip at back edge; imbricated flute; cross-cut acanthus ogee; acanthus leaf tip; torus with fruit and foliage; stained; 62 x 56.5 cm.; estimate: €2,000-3,000 https://www.cambiaste.com/uk/auction-1017/cornice-in-noce-intagliato-piemonte-fine-xvii-secolo-328230

Lot 16: 17^th century Tuscan lacquered and parcel-gilt reverse cassetta; with an astragal at the back edge; stopped-channel fluting on the convex top/sight edge; the frieze decorated in mordant gilding with scrolling foliate flourishes at the corners and centres; 60 x 48 cm.; estimate: €2,500-3,000 https://www.cambiaste.com/uk/auction-1017/cornice-a-casetta-in-legno-laccato-e-dorato-toscana-xvii-secolo-331858#

Lot 19: large 17^th century cassetta with minimal reverse profile; gilded astragals at the top and sight edges; the frieze decorated with black and grey marbling; 104 x 84 cm.; estimate: €2,000-2,500 https://www.cambiaste.com/uk/auction-1017/cornice-a-cassetta-in-legno-dipinto-a-fintomarmo-italia-centrale-xvii–331869

Lot 24: 18^th century carved giltwood oval frame; torus profile; the torus ornamented with spiralling, rose-like forms and opposed C-scrolls, with four cherubs’ heads on the vertical and horizontal axes, carved in the round and projecting over the pictorial surface; finished with gilding, the cherubs’ heads painted in naturalistic colours and lacquered; probably made for an image of the Virgin or the Madonna and Child, and making impertinent reference to the Doni Tondo; https://theframeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/27j-michelangelo-doni-tondo-1506-uffizi-raking-shot.jpg 71 x 51 cm.; estimate: €1,200-1,800. https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/cornice-ovale-in-legno-intagliato-e-dorato-xviii-secolo-326354 See ‘The tondo frame in Renaissance Florence: a round-up’ https://theframeblog.com/2021/02/25/the-tondo-frame-in-renaissance-florence-a-round-up/ ; see also Lot 26, below

Lot 26: a late 16^th or early 17^th century garland frame; torus profile and broken contour; carved with foliage and various fruit with potentially symbolic meanings (see ‘Fruit, flowers, foliage: the symbolism of Renaissance frames’ https://theframeblog.com/2020/11/19/fruit-flowers-foliage-the-symbolism-of-renaissance-frames/ ), which spring from bunches of leaves bound with ribbon; deriving both from the coloured glazed terracotta frames by the Della Robbia family https://theframeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/17-andrea-della-robbia-head-of-a-youth-mid-c15to-early-c16-detroit-inst-of-arts.jpg , and from carved giltwood tondo frames made for images of the Holy Family https://theframeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/11-signorelli-madonna-child-c1495-alte-pinakothek-munich.jpg ; finished with parcel-gilding, polychromy and lacquer; 34 x 30 cm.; estimate: €800-1,000 https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/cornice-in-legno-intagliato-laccato-e-dorato-xvi-xvii-secolo-307570

Lot 27: 17^th century Bolognese Baroque carved giltwood frame; bolection profile; with centred gadrooning at back edge; acanthus-&-enriched leaf in scotia, with scrolling sculptural corners; bunched bay leaves with centre clasps and acanthus leaf corners on torus at top edge; stepped sight edge with a line of hazzling, and all ornaments on a hazzled ground; overall gilding; 40 x 34 cm.; estimate:  €2,000-3,000 https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/cornice-in-legno-intagliato-e-dorato-bologna-xvii-secolo-272028

Lot 31: ?18^th century central Italian frame; with ogee profile; decorated with black and brown marbling, with incised gold acanthus leaf corners; gilded sight edge; 97 x 72.5 cm.; estimate: €1,200-1,500 https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/cornice-con-specchio-in-legno-laccato-nero-a-finto-marmo-italia-centra-329645

Lot 38: 17^th century Baroque northern Italian frame; flowing convex and ogee profile; parcel-gilt and ebonized; with stylized baskets of lobed leaves trailing flowered tendrils in the corners and centres; 124 x 149 cm.; estimate: €4,000-5,000 https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/cornice-in-legno-ebanizzato-e-dorato-piemonte-xvii-secolo-331871

Lot 51: 17^th – 18^th century ?Emilian Baroque pierced leaf frame; composed of two undulating branches of acanthus with foliate flourishes at corners and centres; ribbon-&-stave at the sight edge; gilded overall; 137 x 139 cm.; estimate: €2,500-3,500 https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/grande-cornice-in-legno-intagliato-e-dorato-a-motivi-vegetali-emilia-x-326344

Lot 80: 18^th century reverse panel frame; landscape format; cavetto and cushion profile; ebonized and parcel-gilt; flowered back edge; carved panels with undulating tendrils with florets, and acanthus leaf corners; flowered sight edge; 160 x 107 cm. (but may have been used in both portrait and landscape orientations); estimate: €2,000-2,500. This is described in the catalogue as made in the Veneto, but it looks rather like a British panel frame of the very late 17^th or early 18^th century (otherwise known as a ‘Lely’ or ‘Queen Anne’ frame: see detail above, bottom right), which has been painted black and lacquered on the reposes and the cavetto beneath the top edge.  https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/cornice-in-legno-intagliato-ebanizzato-e-dorato-veneto-xviii-secolo-331865

Lot 94: 17^th– 18^th century carved and pierced Baroque leaf frame; sculptural C-scrolling acanthus branches on a base incised with cornet shell-like shapes; gilded overall; 93 x 67 cm.; estimate: €2,200-2,500 https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/grande-cornice-barocca-in-legno-intagliato-e-dorato-xvii-xviii-secolo-326360

Lot 97: 17^th century ?Tuscan cassetta; small canted mouldings and astragals supporting the frieze; ebonized overall, with scrolling foliate tendrils and florets at corners and centres in mordant gilding; 98 x 77 cm.; estimate: €2,000-2,500 https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/cornice-a-cassetta-in-legno-ebanizzato-con-racemi-dorati-toscana-xvii–331857

Lot 127: 18^th century ?Bolognese octagonal parcel-gilt frame, with cassetta profile; with half-flowered chain on back edge; spiralling leaf on a twisted ribbon at the sight edge; the frieze decorated with green and black marbling; remains of antique hanger (see central detail of top rail); 110.5 x 87.5 cm.; estimate: €1,200-1,600 https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/cornice-ottagonale-in-legno-intagliato-laccato-e-dorato-marche-xviii-s-326339

Lot 147: 18^th century Italian Baroque carved giltwood frame in French Louis XIV style; ogee profile; with flowered back edge; scrolling foliate tendrils with florets on the ogee, with pierced shell and reversed shell corners and centres; sanded frieze; acanthus leaf-&-shell at the sight edge; 124.5 x 99 cm.; estimate: €1,000-1,500 https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/cornice-il-legno-intagliato-e-dorato-xviii-secolo-332225

Lot 159: A pair of 18^th century Italian Baroque carved giltwood frames; ogee profile; projecting corners and centres; with C-scrolled and foliated strapwork in substantial relief on the ogee and stylized shell centres; ovolo half-chain at the sight edge; the ground variously textured with hatching and punchwork, and the ornament defined with lines of punchwork; gilded overall;  132.5 x 85 cm.; estimate: €3,400-4,000 https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/coppia-di-cornici-in-legno-intagliato-dorato-e-bulinato-xviii-secolo-320899

Lot 169: 17^th century Italian cassetta;  reverse profile; with complex stepped mouldings at back and top/sight edges, finished in deep brown and fawn marbling; the frieze marbled in honey, cream and tan, with off-white stylized scrolling leaves centred with ruby trompe l’oeil cabochons at the corners and centres; 96 x 76 cm.; estimate: €800-1,200 https://www.cambiaste.com/it/asta-1017/cornice-in-legno-intagliato-e-dipinto-marche-xvii-secolo-331870

***********************

There are many other single and groups of frames. The online catalogue in book-form is here https://issuu.com/cambicasadaste/docs/1123_1017?mode=window&backgroundColor=222222 , and as a downloadable pdf here. https://www.cambiaste.com/uploads/auctions/1123-1017corniciebook3.pdf

For further information, email: info@cambiaste.com

***********************