19th Century French Silk Weave Designs
These Box Frames were originally created to house the silk weave designs purchased from an exhibition in March 2015 at 31 Fournier Street in Spitalfields. We hold over one hundred of these wonderful original works on paper, curated by Trevor Newton, which were to have formed a permanent collection at No.31. We have now, however, decided to release these for sale so that they can be enjoyed by a wider audience.
The frames are constructed in order to show both sides of these wonderful hand painted nineteenth century works from the studio of André Donat in Lyon, France. The reverse side features the date the design was made and also notes, in French, handwritten in sepia ink - these frames therefore display the individual silk design to its full potential. Depending on the frame size the moulding used is either a 15 x 30 mm or 20 x 34mm flat Tulipwood. The frames have been assembled by means of hard plastic dovetail wedges inserted into the base of the mitered sections with an excellent adhesive. The frame is then cross pinned resulting in an extremely strong mitred joint. The frames are then filled, sanded and hand painted, usually with Farrow & Ball's London Clay. The client may of course choose any colour from the Farrow & Ball range - the slide show above includes an example in Mouse's Back.
The silk designs are float mounted using acid free tape on a slightly pink Conservation grade board which has been window cut in order that the verso of the design can be viewed. A particularly nice feature of these silk designs is that most are dated on the day that they were made. The reverse of the frame is glazed with Water White glass as standard. This glass has a low iron content resulting in a notable reduction in 'colour shift' - the greying effect produced by using regular picture framing glass. The Box Frames all feature hand cut 15mm spacers faced with the same Conservation board as the mount resulting in a uniform interior to the frames.
Lastly on many of the frames the front has been fitted with Museum glass, which has 97% UV protection and an anti-reflective coating. This combined with the excellent translucency means the glass is practically invisible, allowing the colours to sing out. Our recommended glazing option is Conservation Glass which offers 99% UV protection but does not have the anti-reflective coating. This will ensure the works are protected from fading and paper damage for many years to come. Please note that the silk designs may only be purchased framed.
The collection, including some framed examples, is available to view by appointment at our studio/gallery in Spitalfields which is about five minutes walk from the house in Fournier Street where they were originally shown. Please use the contact form if you are interested in a visit.
You may download further information about the designs here and the framing here.
The frames are constructed in order to show both sides of these wonderful hand painted nineteenth century works from the studio of André Donat in Lyon, France. The reverse side features the date the design was made and also notes, in French, handwritten in sepia ink - these frames therefore display the individual silk design to its full potential. Depending on the frame size the moulding used is either a 15 x 30 mm or 20 x 34mm flat Tulipwood. The frames have been assembled by means of hard plastic dovetail wedges inserted into the base of the mitered sections with an excellent adhesive. The frame is then cross pinned resulting in an extremely strong mitred joint. The frames are then filled, sanded and hand painted, usually with Farrow & Ball's London Clay. The client may of course choose any colour from the Farrow & Ball range - the slide show above includes an example in Mouse's Back.
The silk designs are float mounted using acid free tape on a slightly pink Conservation grade board which has been window cut in order that the verso of the design can be viewed. A particularly nice feature of these silk designs is that most are dated on the day that they were made. The reverse of the frame is glazed with Water White glass as standard. This glass has a low iron content resulting in a notable reduction in 'colour shift' - the greying effect produced by using regular picture framing glass. The Box Frames all feature hand cut 15mm spacers faced with the same Conservation board as the mount resulting in a uniform interior to the frames.
Lastly on many of the frames the front has been fitted with Museum glass, which has 97% UV protection and an anti-reflective coating. This combined with the excellent translucency means the glass is practically invisible, allowing the colours to sing out. Our recommended glazing option is Conservation Glass which offers 99% UV protection but does not have the anti-reflective coating. This will ensure the works are protected from fading and paper damage for many years to come. Please note that the silk designs may only be purchased framed.
The collection, including some framed examples, is available to view by appointment at our studio/gallery in Spitalfields which is about five minutes walk from the house in Fournier Street where they were originally shown. Please use the contact form if you are interested in a visit.
You may download further information about the designs here and the framing here.
