The music-hall
(c. 1915)

• Walter RUSSELL

Frames like this one, derived from French Louis XIV and XV models, are common through the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. They remain popular to this day and reflect a taste for the seventeenth century and eighteenth century as a period of rich and expensive ornament, adding value to art by association. The gadrooning of the leading edge offers an Italian note to the design. Variations on this framing type are associated with French Impressionism, though they are a considerable distance from the styles the artists originally espoused. In the example shown here there is an empathetic relationship between the subject of the painting and the style of the frame.

The frame is built from composition mouldings on a wooden chassis. The chassis is a profiled softwood section, mitred at the corners. The gilding is matte throughout, on a red bole. A layer of size has been used to tone the gilding.

The frame is in good original condition, despite minor losses and abrasions of the surface.