 Italian Renaissance Frames at the V & A: A Technical Study by Christine Powell, Zoe Allen – Hardcover: 346 pages; Butterworth-Heinemann; 1st edition (Dec 4, 2009) This visually stunning and technically detailed book is an in-depth analysis of the materials and techniques used on thirty eight of the Victoria and Albert Museum's Renaissance frames. The book will teach the reader to recognise frame style, structure and surface decoration of the period, as well as additions and alterations and later frames in the style.
 Frames in The Robert Lehman Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Timothy Newbery – Hardcover: 480 pages; Princeton University Press (Sep 24, 2007) The Robert Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses one of the finest collections of frames in the world. Robert Lehman's interest in picture frames set him apart from other collectors of his era. The collection he bequeathed to the Museum includes nearly four hundred frames, most of them Italian and French and dating from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. Although he bought most of these frames to display his paintings and drawings, a number of them could only have been acquired as works of art in their own right.
 A History of European Picture Frames by Paul Mitchell and Lynn Roberts This book, the culmination of 20 years’ work for two frame historians and consultants, is a comprehensive, scholarly survey documenting frame styles and their original context. The book is organized by nation-ality and period with 56 carefully constructed diagrams in the form of framemakers’ pattern books, interspersed with 38 plates of framed paintings. Components are drawn directly from photographs of 268 frames original or contemporary to their pictures. Frames from Italy, France, Britain and the Netherlands and Belgium are included; and for the first time frame studies focusing on Germany, Central Europe, Scandinavia, and Spain are also featured.
 Glorious Borders: Three Centuries of French Frames By Jennifer Janicki This 16-page booklet is an overview of a 1999 exhibit organized by Gold Leaf Studios in Washington, DC. A synopsis of the origin of the French Frame and its characteristics are enhanced by a glossary and step-by-step guide to gesso cutting and gilding. A complete biography for further reading is included. 22 illustrations, 14 in full color.Softcover, 16 pages
 The Art of the Frame, American Frames from the Arts and Crafts Period by Eli Wilner, Suzanne Smeaton – Paperback: 32 pages; 3rd edition Note: Eli Wilner owns an amazing antique frame business in New York. Eli Wilner’s “The Art of the Frame” was a delightful find. I have seen books about European frames, but never about American frames until now. As a person who appreciates art in all its many forms, I was thrilled to discover a book entirely devoted to the history, appreciation and beauty of American frames The back of book has illustrations of various signatures that appear on the backs of frames by known frame makers. It would be hard to read "The Art of the Frame" and not feel like you are being let in on a fascinating new world shared by artists, designers and arts patrons alike. It is the kind of book that you return to frequently as a reference, not only in the consideration, study, and viewing of paintings and their frames, but as a tool in identifying and classifying these treasures of American know-how and craftsmenship known as antique frames.
 The Book of Picture Frames by Claus Grimm – Paperback: 344 pages; Abaris Books (Apr 1992) This book was one of the first surveys of the development and types of picture frames throughout the centuries and continues to be a valuable guide to curators, collectors, and frame makers today. Topics such as changes in the significance of the frame, the wide variety of materials used, and adaptations of frames to new surroundings are all included. A glossary of terms and important style designations, a comprehensive bibliography, and a special section on American frames are all included. 510 black & white photos.
 Framing in the Golden Age: Picture and Frame in 17th-Century Holland by Pieter J. J. Van Thiel, C. J. De Bruyn Kops, Andrew P. McCormick – Hardcover: University of Washington Press, 1996 Based on the catalog of the 1984 exhibition, "Acclaim the Frame," at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, this book features detailed information about original Dutch frames and the paintings they housed. There are numerous full scale profile drawings and many full page black and white and color illustrations of the frames, showing their original con- tents so that the reader can better understand the relation of picture to frame.
 Italian Renaissance Frame by Timothy J. Newbery, George Bisacca, Laurence B. Kanter – Paperback: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1990 Reader review: I have treasured this book ever since I bought it 10 years ago. As a beginning picture framer this was the pinacle of perfection to me. Gives full blown diagrams on the construction of the frames and altar pieces along with the history of the frames and icons. Simply breathtaking stuff, incredible craftsmanship and artistry.
|  The Secret Lives of Frames: One Hundred Years of Art and Artistry by Deborah Davis – Hardcover: 224 pages; Filipacchi Publishing; 1st edition (Dec 1, 2006) A painting wouldn't be the same without its frame. In fact, it can be as important as the art it surrounds. Yet the picture frame is the Cinderella of the art world, beautiful, hardworking, and frequently overlooked. The Secret Lives of Frames, inspired by the hundred-year history of Lowy, the premier fine arts services atelier in the country, celebrates the extraordinary art and artistry of the frame.
 A Closer Look: Frames by Nicholas Penny – 96 pages; National Gallery London (May 3, 2011) Frames often catch the eye and arouse the curiosity of visitors to galleries and museums, yet labels and catalogues rarely comment on them. Nicholas Penny conveys his interest in the history of frames, the design and techniques of frame-making, what frames do for paintings, and the part they play in the decoration and often the architecture of an interior.
 Frames & Framing (Ashmolean Handbooks) by Tim Newberry Paperback: 80 pages; Ashmolean Museum (Jan 25, 2007) Increasingly, picture frames are collected in thei r own right, viewed for the significant role they have played in art history. Museums exhibit them. Here are frames from the 14th to the 19th century from throughout Europe.
 Handbook of Ornament by Franz Sales Meyer Paperback: 548 pages; Dover Publications (Jun 1, 1957) This excellent collection of historic decorative ornament contains over 3000 examples ranging from the cultures of the Greeks and Romans through the Victorians. Among the many different kinds of objects depicted are fine line drawings of chairs, thrones, crowns, heraldic emblems, altars, armor, architecture and scores of objects used in everyday life. 3002 black-and-white illustrations.
 The Gilded Edge: Art of the Frame by Eli Wilner (Compiler) – Hardcover: 204 pages; Chronicle Books (Sep 2000) Note: Eli Wilner owns an amazing antique frame business in New York. Nothing enhances the appeal of a beautiful painting like the perfect frame. Indeed, framing is an art form in its own right, and The Gilded Edge is the first book to offer a comprehensive visual survey of the beautiful antique frames made in America over the last two centuries. Comprising diverse essays by art world luminaries, museum curators, private collectors, and independent scholars, this richly illustrated volume covers topics ranging from frame history and fabrication to the art of perfectly matching frame to artwork. Unlike most art books that depict paintings without their frames, The Gilded Edge presents a plethora of photographs that showcase frames in relation to the paintings they border-and as works of art themselves. An accessible reference for collectors and admirers alike, this is an invaluable guide to the art of making beautiful things even more so.
 Ornamentation in Frame Design: In Search of Elementals By William B. Adair – Softcover, 20 pages This booklet, originally as a supplement to the February 2004 issue of Picture Frame Magazine, contains an essay on the role of ornamentation on a picture frame moulding—and the importance of being able to identify the numerous motifs. Detailed images of more than 95 types of ornaments are included for the reader's reference. Each image is accompanied by an explanation of its geographical and historical origins.
 The Regilded Age: An Exhibition of Contemporary Gilded Art and Historic Gilded Objects/May 23, 1991-Aug 4, 1991 by Society of Gilders at the Newark Museum Paperback; Abaris Books (Jun 1991) This comprehensive catalog of gilded objects is from the 1991 exhibit at The Newark Museum sponsored by The Society of Gilders. It offers a look at both past and present gilded objects, with an emphasis on frames. The catalog is presented in three parts: detailed information on over 30 historical frames from 1870 to 1950; extensive technical information on the gilding process; and illustrations of the many contemporary gilded objects including frames, artwork, and signs.
 Frameworks: Form, Function & Ornament in European Portrait Frames by Paul Mitchell, Lynn Roberts – Hardcover: 480 pages. University of Washington Press, 1997 Frameworks is the first survey of portrait frames to enable the reader to identify the most familiar frame styles associated with the major European artistic movements. Period frames are shown on their contemporary pictures, and in later revivals up to the Twentieth Century. The survey concludes with artists’ frames. The prime features and decorative techniques of frames are compared to styles of architecture, furnishings, and objects d’art. Intended as a companion to A History of European Picture Frames.
 The Art of Framing by Piers Feetham, Caroline Feetham, Patrick Stell (Photographer), Patric Steel – Hardcover: 175 pages; Clarkson Potter; 1st American edition (Nov 18, 1997)
|
Looking at European Frames: A Guide to Terms, Styles, and Techniques
Antique American Frames: Identification and Price Guide: Learn How to Identify, Buy and Restore Valuable 19th and 20th Century Frames
Picture Framing Magazine
The Art and History of Frames: An Inquiry into the Enhancement of Paintings
Carved, Incised, Gilded, and Burnished: The Bucks County Framemaking Tradition
The Art of the Picture Frame: Artists, Patrons and the Framing of Portraits in Britain
