PICTURE FRAMING MAGAZINE Ornamentation In Frame Design

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PFM
PICTURE FRAMING MAGAZINE
Ornamentation
in Frame Design
In Search of Elementals

Ornamentation
in Frame Design:
In Search of Elementals
by William B. Adair
Elias Ashmole, 1683,
painting by John Riley,
frame by Grinling Gibbons,
at the Ashmolian Museum,
Oxford, England. (Shown
courtesy of the University of
Oxford.)
This frame was first carved
in limewood (also called
linden) with ornamentation
based on architectonic
forms of contemporary wall
paneling, but it was not
gilded until 47 years later.
The woodcarving was first
so beautifully rendered in
this light colored, tight
grained wood, that it was
not “clogged” up with
gilding preparations until
later when it had turned
dark from age.
Above the central cartouche
containing the family crest is
a figure of Mercury, symbolizing
the constant activity of
the human intellect,
supported by the mythological
twins Castor and Pollux.
The drapery elegantly
carved on the sides recalls
the sitter’s own velvet
clothing and curly wigged
hair “enframing” Ashmole’s
piercing look, facing the
future.
Photos on cover shown
courtesy of William Adair
and Gold Leaf Studios.
Ornamentation in Frame Design

Cover Plates from R. Ackerman’s book, first published in 1819, A Selection of Ornaments for the Use of Sculptors, Painter’s Carver’s and Modellers. In its
day, this publication influenced all aspects of interior design, especially picture frames. (Shown courtesy of the International Institute for Frame Study.)
Introduction
No matter what our profession, we cannot truly grasp knowledge
unless we also add to it—otherwise, creativity and intellectual
growth will stagnate. This is especially true with regard
to the design of picture frames. An understanding of the
history of architectural ornaments—their origins, the context
of their use, and the methods used to create them—is essential
to our knowledge of fine period frames.
Frame designers must know the relationship of each ornament
to another, which ornaments are appropriate to the
various stylistic periods, and how each ornament should be
positioned on the frame’s profile. Framers who work with
period frames must also understand how the use of various
ornaments has come to define certain stylistic periods, and in
the process, learn to recognize well-designed frames. It is also
important to recognize how ornament is created: Was it
carved into the frame, applied as composition, or embossed
into the surface of the profile?
Acquiring a strong vocabulary in frame ornamentation
builds credibility with customers and industry peers; recognizing
a well-designed and historically accurate period frame
helps build a better frame selection for your business and
bolster greater confidence at the design counter. A familiarity
with historical ornament can help you identify period frames,
for example, and that knowledge will, in turn, help you to
suggest suitable and period-appropriate frames for various
artworks.
February 2004

Ornamentation in Frame Design
The top rail of this
frame (shown
vertically) features a
guilloche band and
scrolling acanthus
leafs surmounted by
a shell.
A History of Ornamentation
In the past, the embellishment of picture frames of great merit was largely
derived from architectural patterns found in classical antiquity. R. Ackerman’s
book, A Selection of Ornaments for the Use of Sculptors, Painters Carvers and
Modellers, published in 1819, was the kind of publication that influenced all
aspects of interior design, including that of picture frames.
However, there are many other sources of inspiration. Many designers of
frames are motivated by conventional, pre-established patterns. Standard ornaments,
such as the acanthus leaf, anthemion (also called honeysuckle), egg and
dart, laurel leaf, lambs tongue, lotus leaf, and others, are all repeated
throughout the centuries, in a profusion of perambulations.
Such historically proven ornamentation can still fail, however. Most failures
are evident when the ornament is out of proportion to the moulding
profile. In some instances, the placement of the ornament and
repeating patterns is ill-conceived—based on the whim of
the designer rather than sound principles of design. As we
look at these frames, a disquieting sense of impropriety
becomes evident to ourselves (and even to our
customers), although we usually don’t understand
why.
However, in a frame created by a designer who
followed established historic examples of design,
such as The Golden Mean of ratio, proportion, and
balance, the arrangement of seemingly disparate
design elements develops into a symbiotic harmony,
producing a pleasing result and cohesiveness of design.
We are often drawn instinctively to such designs, and
greater study can help us understand why.
As English architect-designer Owen Jones (1806-1899) declared
in his seminal treatise, The Grammar of Ornament, “True beauty results from
that repose which the mind feels when the eye, the intellect, and the affectations,
are satisfied from the absence of any want.” (Just as framers often have
clients who say, “I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I’ll tell you when I see
it.”) Jones’s strong conviction was that historical styles should be used for inspiration
rather than imitation.
Sources of Good Design
It is not easy to define what makes a good and enduring design. Learning to
recognize it evolves from an examination of historical examples and leads to an
analysis of the shape or profile of ornament in relation to its size and placement
upon the surface of the moulding. Ornament design should be based on a
geometrical construction, and this construction should be appropriately decorated—decoration
should never be purposely constructed.
In the classic treatise, Ten Books on Architecture, the Roman architect

Marcus Vitruvius Polio (90-20 B.C.E.),
known simply as “Vitruvius,” said it best:
“Good architectural design is composed of
three important qualities: strength, utility,
and aesthetic effect.” (In his 1624 translation,
Sir Henry Wooton (1568-1639) quaintly
changed this to “Firmness, Commodity, and
Delight.”) The rule applies to framemaking as
much as it does to architecture.
Since the decorative arts arise from architecture,
it stands to reason that the same standards
apply to the design and construction of
picture frames. A frame must be fabricated
from well-seasoned and stable wood, with
corner joints that are appropriate for the
width and shape of the moulding. A frame
must be fabricated of quality materials so that
it will be equal, if not superior, to the quality
of the painting; thus, it will show the
painting to its best advantage. Lastly, a frame
must be aesthetically pleasing in terms of its
coloration, texture, and variety of sheens.
Color is used to bolster the advancement or
recession of forms and to differentiate
elements.
Vitruvius’ principle of consistency is also
an important concept that applies to framing.
For example, he writes:
....temples of the Doric order are erected to
Minerva, Mars, and Hercules, on account of
whose valour their temples should be of masculine
proportions, and without delicate ornament.
The character of the Corinthian order
seems more appropriate to Venus, Flora, Proserpine,
and Nymphs of Fountains; because its
slenderness, elegance and richness, and its orna-
From top: acanthus leaf, guilloche, leaf and
berry, and shell ornamentation designs.
mental leaves surmounted by volutes, seem to
bear an analogy to their dispositions...
Vitruvius’ virtuoso books remind us that
a good framer possesses historical knowledge
of frame styles and ornamentation as they are
appropriate, respectively, to the styles of
painting. Eventually, the designer must
know what works and what fails, and be able
to articulate the reasons why.
Learning the Language of Ornament
When it comes to trying to identify various
frame styles the amount of overlapping and
conflicting information makes the task
formidable. Armed with a little practice,
experience in making sketches of profile
drawings, and a firm understanding of the
historically correct ornaments that are
applied to them—their names, origins, and
evolutions—one slowly develops an eye for
the nuances and subtleties that emerge from
the vast labyrinth of design information.
Eventually, this “design vocabulary” of
elementals leads the framer to develop
“sentences,” “paragraphs,” and eventually a
“novel” worthy, at best, of a place of honor
in the mythological “Hall of Frames” on
Mount Olympus. (Or at least a new frame
design that won’t be rejected by your
discerning clients.) ■
William B. Adair received his B.F.A. in Studio Art from the University of Maryland in 1972. For the next 10 years he worked for the
Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery as a museum conservator specializing in the treatment of picture frames. In 1982 he
formed his own company, Gold Leaf Studios, for the making of frames and the conservation of gilded antiques. Over the years his clients
have included the U.S. Department of State and the National Park Service. He is the founder of the International Institute for Frame
Study, a non-profit archive dedicated to collecting and disseminating information on the history of frames. He can be reached via e-mail at
bill@goldleafstudios.com.
February 2004

Arched portal, Babylonian-Assyrian, c. 2000
B.C. from Koyunjik, showing crysanthemum
flower in arch and cornice with lotus flower and
bud in frieze above arch .
Babylonian corner: a Babylonian-Assyrian floor
ornament, c. 2000 B.C. from Koyunjik, showing
crysanthemum flower in border and center-point
with radiating buds.
Ornamentation in Frame Design
Winged steer with
human head, now in
the Louvre in Paris,
originally from the
palace of Sardanapalus,
c. 1000 B.C.
BABYLONIAN
Nebuchadnezzer Babylon: Babylonian, c. 2600 B.C.; a wall
mural from the court in the palace of King Nebuchadnezzer I,
c. 2600 B.C. The ornamentation—a double-anthemion
frieze—is executed on glazed colored bricks.
From Koyunjik, an alternating lotus flower and bud with
chrysanthemum flower below, c. 2000 B.C.
Nimroud frieze, a mural decoration made of burned, glazed
stone, showing a stylized palmette with pinecone and closed
lotus-bud with chevron decoration, c. 800 B.C.
From an Assyrian embroidery
illustrating a chrysanthemum
flower and Pegasus, a winged
horse, c. 700 B.C.

Date leaf on the capital of a column at
Philae, with space above neck-band. From
the later Egyptian Kingdom, c. 1500 B.C.
Palm leaf on the capital of a column in
Bersche, dating from the Middle Kingdom,
c. 1500 B.C. This is the precursor for much
Greek ornamentation, now known as a water
leaf.
Papyrus on a column with closed capital
from Amenemhet, near Hawara, Later
Kingdom.
EGYPTIAN
Lotus: an alternating closed and open lotus
flower and bud, c. 600 B.C., with geometric
border design at the top.
Lotus and tongue: This lotus flower and
alternating tongue pattern, c. 600 B.C., is a
precursor for the later Greek classical lamb’s
tongue ornamentation.
Lotus and egg: an open lotus flower alternating
with egg pattern, c. 600 B.C. A
precursor for the egg and dart design seen in
classic Greek ornamentation.
Stylized lotus: a frieze of flowers and buds,
from Amenophis IV in Tell-el-Amanra, Later
Kingdom, c. 660 B.C. An inspiration for the
Art-Deco designs of the 1930s.
Geometric borders: chevrons and stylized
leaves for border decorations in a room,
c. 600 B.C.
Arched pediment from the modern
kingdom, Thebes, c. 1600 B.C, with stylized
vegetal forms.
Aedicula frame taken from a breast-plate of
gold with encrusted enamel, bearing the
name of Ramses II; Egyptian Middle
Kingdom, c. 600 B.C.
February 2004

Anthemion and lotus: a mosaic from the
floor of stairs in the palace of Artaxerxes,
c. 600 B.C.; showing stylized lotus leaf and
alternating anthemion, surmounted by a
geometric pattern.
From Persepolis, a column in the hall of
Xerxes, c. 500 B.C. Above the double bulls is
a stylized lotus with alternating chrysanthemum,
surmounted by dentil work and a
lion frieze.
Lion frieze: now in the Louvre, c. 300 B.C.
A lion figure is often used as a decorative
pattern in Persian ornament.
Ornamentation in Frame Design
PERSIAN
Artaxerxes border: from a floor from the
stairs in the palace of Artaxerxes, c. 600 B.C.
A stylized C-scroll surrounded by a chrysanthemum
flower border.
From Naksche: Bas-reliefs from the graves
of Naksche Roustem, c. 500 B.C. This is the
tip of a volute that forms a running pattern.
Tongue and dart from the bas-reliefs at
the graves of Naksche Roustem, c. 500
B.C; showing rounded tongue ornament
interspersed with darts, surmounted by
bead and reel.
Winged lion: a bas-relief at Persepolis,
c. 300 B.C. Winged figures are
classic ornamentation from Persian
iconography.
Double Anthemion on a Persian wall decoration
of glazed terra-cotta, using triangles as
a bordering device for the double anthemion
frieze.
From Persepolis: a column in the hall of
Xerxes, c. 500 B.C. Above the double bulls is
an alternating lotus flower and anthemion,
surmounted by dentil work and fluted ribs.
Winged bull from a bas-relief at Persepolis,
c. 300 B.C.

Bhagovati frieze:
moulding from the
temple of Bhagovati
with scrolling
leaf and vine, intertwined
with
animals, c. second
century, B.C.
A window from the temple of Muktes’wara.
Various scrolling leaves and flower pattern, c.
second century, B.C.
INDIAN
Aedicula zoomorphic: a statue of the
province from a niche in the temple of
Bhuvanes’war. The image of an elephant
assuming human form is a typical image
from India.
A Bhuvanes’war frieze showing a griffin
with stylized leaf ornamentation, resting on a
bead ornament; from a bas-relief from
Bharhut, c. second century, B.C.
A cornice from the
temple in Parasurnames’vara
showing a
fern ornamentation,
c. second century,
B.C.
February 2004

Arabic ornamentation on a decorative detailed frieze from the Alhambra, c. 11th
century, A.D.
Alhambra corner: decorative corner from
the Alhambra in Granada, c. 9th century,
A.D.
Alhambra corner: Decorative corner from
the Alhambra in Granada, 9th century, A.D.;
a corner ornament with interlocking stylized
floral patterns that resemble calligraphy.
Ornamentation in Frame Design
ARABIC / MOORISH
Moorish corner: interlaced ornaments for a
corner design, c. 11th century, A.D.; found
in the Alhambra in the Court of the Lions.
A Moorish frieze, or a running pattern of interlaced ornaments, c. 11th
century, A.D.; found in the Alhambra in the Court of the Lions.
An Arabic decorative frieze from the Alhambra, c. 11th century, A.D. with an
alternating anthemion design.

Celtic interlocking design: the chief characteristic of Celtic ornament consists in the
absence of foliage or other vegetal ornament. The extreme intricacy and interlocking
geometric pattern and ribbonwork is composed of knots and tails in an intertwining
endless pattern.
Celtic roundel corner from The Golden
Gospels, 9th century, A.D.
CELTIC
A Celtic corner from The Golden
Gospels, 9th century, A.D. Here, interlocking
patterns are used as a corner
design.
A Celtic Anglo-Saxon corner from a book
at the British Museum called The Golden
Gospels, produced in the 9th century, A.D.
This style of ornament was fully developed
before the end of the 7th century, possibly
being influenced by Irish missionaries travelling
to the Holy Land and obtaining ideas
and principles of design.
Celtic panel: a frieze pattern
from the Book of Kells,
c. 800 A.D.
Celtic knot that forms a corner block
design from the Book of Kells,
c. 800 A.D.
February 2004

Leaf and dart: an ogee, c. 4th
century B.C. This pointed leaf
is also typical for frame ornamentation
of Neoclassical
designs. It is often referred to as
a water leaf.
Egg and dart: an ogee from a
mausoleum at Halicarnassus,
c. 350 B.C.
Ornamentation in Frame Design
GREEK
Wave pattern: an example c.
8th century, B.C. Greek wave
patterns are seen on many
frame designs along the site
edge, separating the painting
from the rest of the frame.
Mural frieze c. 8th century,
B.C. This ornament is a stylized
wave pattern with interlocking
seed pod patterns
flanked by chrysanthemum
flower.
Ogee from Holicarnassus:
a lamb’s
tongue and bead
and reel placed on a
shaped ogee
moulding,
c. 350 B.C.
Calves’ tongue
on a painted ogee
from an architectural
trim. Calves’
tongue is a larger
version of a
lamb’s tongue.
Lamb’s Tongue on
a painted ogee from
an architectural
trim; from
Theseum in Athens,
c. 600 B.C. The
smaller lambs’
tongue is often seen
on Neoclassical
ornamentation and
frames as well.

Anthemion with
bead and reel on
an ogee from a
mausoleum at
Halicarnassus, c.
350 B.C.
Anthemion and
acanthus: a frieze
of an alternating
acanthus and
anthemion leaf,
c. 3rd century, B.C.
GREEK
A Greek vase from a design in Athens
in the 6th century B.C. Attic blackcolored
vessels often contain ornaments
which reflect the architectural details.
The ornaments on this design are prototypical
of frame designs in the Renaissance.
There is dentil work at the base,
surmounted by a pattern based on a
double-guilloche with an anthemion in
the center, most likely derived from
patterns of weaving from antquity.
Above that is a chrysanthemum, flanked
by anthemion, stylized egg-and-dart,
and Greek key.
Greek key example from
the Isle of Delos, used as
a pattern for Greek vases
and friezes in architectural
ornamentation.
Bead and reel shown
on an ancient series
of running ornaments
that consists of bead
and reel; from classic
Greek architecture.
February 2004

Fragment of a frieze in high relief from the Villa Aldobrandini
in Rome, c. 1600 A.D.
Figures with acanthus: a griffin and a puti (cherub) are flanked
by acanthus leaves, c. 16th century, A.D.
Trophy frieze shown in an 18th century drawing from an
antique fragment by Luigi Cantini (1762-1840).
Ornamentation in Frame Design
Acanthus with scrolling vine and
rosette, punctuated with zoomorphic
forms in an exaggerated,
overly-developed style; from an
architectural fragment, c. first
century A.D.
ROMAN
Anthemion and acanthus from the Villa Medici in Florence, c.
16th century, A.D. Anthemion is on the outer edge on the end,
with acanthus in a running pattern in the center.
A fragment of an antique frieze found in Tivoli shows a basket
of fruit terminated with a mask, flanked by a profile of a lion
with a centerpoint of an urn with fruit.
Trophy frieze shown in an 18th century drawing from an
antique fragment by Luigi Cantini (1762-1840).
Roman frieze with two puti flanked with acanthus leaves, based
on a drawing by a 17th century Italian artist. Interpreted as
Romulus and Remus with a wolf-head centerpoint.

Gothic rosette: this is example is one of the wooden
rosettes from the Rose Chamber in the prince’s house in
the Coburg Castle, c. 11th century, A.D.
Gothic corner showing a stylized palmette.
One of the Late Gothic ornaments in flatwood
relief in the gallery ballustrade in a
house in the Hauptmarkt, Nuremburg.
GOTHIC
Gothic panel from a stone gallery in the choir of the cloister church in
Blaubeuren.
Gothic panel from a stone gallery in the choir of the cloister church in
Blaubeuren.
Gothic corner showing a stylized
palmette. Another example of Late
Gothic ornament in flatwood relief from
the gallery ballustrade in a house in the
Haupmarkt, Nuremburg.
Gothic corner showing a stylized
palmette. An example of Late Gothic
ornament in flatwood relief in the gallery
ballustrade in a house in the Hauptmarkt,
Nuremburg.
February 2004

Ornamentation in Frame Design
RENAISSANCE
Fretwork example: this design is used as a panelling device for sgraffito
work in the frieze area of a frame. Most Renaissance ornament is based
on designs from classical antiquity—examples were easily found in Italy
as sources for inspiration.
Gadroon: The chief characteristic of a gadroon, or knull, is that it is
used as a bordering device sandwiched between other ornamentation.
Guilloche: defined as an interlocking pattern with a rosette in the
center, flanked by stylized leaves.
Laurel leaf and berry: the laurel leaf, which symbolizes everlasting life,
was often used in the Renaissance in frame design.
Stick and ribbon: this is a twisted ribbon with a stick running through
the center, often seen in architectural ornamentation in conjunction
with other patterns such as lamb’s tongue.

A water leaf site edge with an anthemion corner design; the cabled
fluting on the panel terminates in a tongue and dart ornamentation.
A palmette design alternating with lotus husk, terminating in two
rosettes.
Stylized anthemion with alternating rosette.
Acanthus and anthemion: acanthus leaf with an alternating
anthemion terminating in an acanthus leaf corner.
NEO-CLASSICAL
Acorn and acanthus leaf: an acanthus leaf with alternating sprays
of three acorns set into an acanthus bud.
Acanthus and acorn: stylized acanthus with alternating acorn and
dart.
Acorn and leaf: an undulating spray of oak leaves interspersed with
acorns.
Grape and leaf: an undulating vine of grape leaves and grapes.
Thistle: an undulating spray of thistle flowers, buds, and leaves.
February 2004

Heart-shaped morning glories alternating with morning
glory flowers in an interlocking pattern.
Muriel Moller drawing with stylized anemone flower and
leaf with ribbed background.
Muriel Moller carving based on the anemone flower design
seen above.
Ornamentation in Frame Design
ART NOUVEAU
Stylized tree panel with
large, coin-shaped leaves
terminating in a Celticinspired
interlocking scroll
root system.
Corner ornament: a
stylized, interlocking
pattern of heart-shaped
morning glories.
Stylized oak leaf
embellished with seed
pods.
A sunflower-like
rosette with stylized,
interlocking ivy leaf
and vine.

Italian Renaissance frame, late 16th century.
American Gothic Revivial frame, c. 1850.
American Federal style frame with
a twisted rope design, c. 1810.
FRAMES AND PROFILES
American Impressionist style frame, c. 1900.
Italian Renaissance frame, 16th century.
American Whistler-style frame, c. 1880-1900.
February 2004

Ornamentation in Frame Design
FRAMES AND PROFILES
Typical French Louis XIII
frame (left) and profile.
Typical French Louis XIV
frame (left) and profile.
Typical French Regence
frame (left) and profile.
Typical French Louis XV
frame (left) and profile.