16th Century Italian panel frame
This is our reproduction of a 16th Century Italian panel frame. It was water gilded using 22K gold leaf. Then the inside and outside raised edges of the frame that boarders the panel were burnished using agate stones. Then the outer raised edge was decorated with Granitto punches: Just after the leaf has been laid and the clay begins to dry, metal punches (similar to that of a leather craftsman’s) are pressed into the gold leaving an impression. The corners of the panel have been embellished with Sgrafitto decorative patterns. After the gold leaf has completely dried, about a day, we apply Italian Egg Tempera paint in red over the gold. We draw the pattern onto the paint and then scratch away the paint to reveal the gold underneath. This frame was then worm holed, cracked, beaten, and then dusted to give it appearance of being 400 to 500 years old.
