Carlo Maratta Frame

This is a reproduction of a Carlo Maratta picture frame, gilt on wood. This 18th-century model is available in any size to be paired with any painting.

Carlo Maratta frame properties 

This reproduction is made with ayous and tulipwood combined. We use ayous for the front side and tulipwood for the backside of the frame. As a result, we obtain the maximum strength with the minimum weight.

You can customize the rabbet width as you prefer. We usually make it 1 cm wide, but you can ask to make it wider to cover a more significant part of the painting. The rabbet depth, instead, depends on the thickness of the painting. It is at least 2 cm in most models, but you can always ask to have it deeper.

Section width cm 8
Rabbet cm 1

360° presentation

Click on the video below to see this replica frame with a 360° overview.

Carlo Maratta frame decorations

The surface of this reproduction frame is entirely smooth. This profile is very common within Roman antique-style frames of the 1700s. It is a frame that fits well with detailed landscapes where a frame is not more important than the painting itself.

Click on the video below to see the procedure for carving this profile frame’s concave and convex molding.

More videos related to the building process

Gessoing the frame

Patina (aging process)

“Patina” is an Italian word that refers to the tone of the final gilding of the frame. Making an astonishing Patina is one of the significant skills of the gilder to make this reproduction of a Carlo Maratta frame look like an original one. In other words, it concerns the process of aging the gold finishing, trying to distress the reproduction frame as much as possible without exaggerating too much.

To complete the procedure, gilders use different stones to hit the frame, creating some fake, tiny, broken parts around the sides. Besides, gilders create fake wormholes to age the gilding, and you can see them deeply analyzing the picture detail attached above.

Another essential part of the Patina is gently rubbing off the gold surface with steel wool, trying to create the typical antique abrasions you see in antique picture frames. In conclusion, any damaged part of the frame is just part of a bigger plan to age this typical Carlo Maratta frame reproduction.

See the video below displaying the necessary steps of the aging process.

More videos related to the Patina

Explanation of the aging process
Distressing the gold surface
Rub off the gilding
Dark shellac
Applying shellac
Final result

CHEAPER CARLO MARATTA FRAME

See below a similar frame with an identical structure but at a lower price.