The Frame Blog

This auction, to be held by Thierry de Maigret at the Hôtel Drouot, includes frames from the workshop and gallery of Nicole Paalman of Brussels, and Pierre Berndt of Geneva. Some examples from both are included here; see the entire catalogue online as a pdf, and for the separate days, Tuesday 29th, and Wednesday 30th.

Lot 185: 19th century French fluted frame in carved giltwood, with plaster piastre ornament at top edge, corner acanthus leaves, and ribbon-&-stave moulding; detail of corner; one of a pair, each 90 x 71 cm.; estimate €600-800

Lot 246: 18th century gilded papier mâché frame, Italian or Spanish, with two angels supporting a crown at the crest, and three cherubs’ heads at the sides and base between scrolls and cornucopiae, a floral swag at the top and the infill of the crown picked out in paint; a scrolling strapwork oval sight; 15 x 12 cm.; estimate €600-900

Lot 249: 17th century French Louis XIII gilded oak oval frames, a pair; with leaf tip and hazzled back edge, a garland of bay and oak leaves with florets, acanthus leaf tip and hazzled sight edge; 40.5 x 32 cm.; estimate €600-800

Lot 250: 18th century French Louis XV gilded oak oval frame, bearing the stamp on the reverse of ‘A LEVERT’ (Antoine Levert, received as maître-ébéniste, 1774); with astragal-&-triple bead at the top edge; 54 x 44 cm.; estimate €750-1,100. See Neil Jeffares, ‘Antoine Levert, maître menuisier-ébéniste‘ for more on this framemaker

Lot 346: 18th century British gilded carved pine frame, with leaf tip back edge, top edge with centred and bound garland of imbricated bay leaves, and acanthus leaf-&-shield at sight edge; reduced; 125.5 x 74 cm.; estimate €1,000-1,200

Lot 392: 17th century Spanish reverse flat frame, ebonized; 46 x 34.5 cm.; estimate €600-800

Lot 441: 17th century bolection frame, German, Austrian or Neapolitan; possibly fruitwood?, ebonized; with ripple mouldings at back edge, narrow torus with wave moulding, frieze with basket weave moulding, ripple mouldings, wave moulding at top edge, and ripple mouldings at sight edge; 34 x 28 cm.; estimate €600-800

Lot 472: 20th century replica oval giltwood frame in the style of Louis XIII; with acanthus leaf tip at back edge, torus with centred and bound garland of imbricated bay leaf-&-berry, astragal -&-double bead at sight edge; 61 x 50 cm.; estimate €250-350

Lot 480: 18th century Italian concave giltwood frame; with acanthus leaf-&-shield at sight edge; 96 x 70 cm.; estimate €1,000-1,200

Lot 495: 16th-17th century Spanish cassetta, polychrome and parcel-gilt; with gilded panels of scrolling foliage at corners and centres: narcissus flowers at the corners and passion flowers at the centres, engraved and relieved against a hazzled ground; 109 x 84 cm.; estimate €3,500-4,500

Lot 496: 17th century Spanish reverse architrave frame, polychrome and parcel-gilt, the frieze with finished with faux wood-graining (restored); 109 x 84 cm.; estimate €3,500-4,500

Lot 504: 17th century Spanish Baroque bolection frame, with naturalistic acanthus leaves at corners and centres, and acanthus leaf tip sight edge on a textured ground; polychrome and parcel-gilt finish (restored); 97 x 70 cm.; estimate €800-1,000

Lot 508: 18th century Venetian Rococo giltwood panel frame, with centred gadrooned back edge, carved shallow-relief panels with undulating foliate tendrils on a textured ground between mirrored reposes, with fluted sight edge (cut down); 79 x 69 cm.; estimate €800-1,000

Lot 514: 18th century French Louis XV giltwood ogee (‘pastel’) frame, with centred gadrooned back edge, small sanded frieze, and acanthus leaf tip sight edge (cut down); with original gilding; 90 x 72 cm.; estimate €800-1,200

Lot 518: 16th-17th century Italian giltwood ogee moulding frame, with overall leaf tip ornament;  59 x 58 cm.; estimate €250-350

Lot 540: 17th-18th century Italian Baroque reverse octagonal frame, with centred imbricated bay leaf torus;  finished with parcel-gilding and faux wood-grain (restored); 102 x 86 cm.; estimate €800-1,200

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Catalogue online: Thierry de Maigret: Antique & replica frames, and giltwood objects

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