68 
House & Garden 
HOWARD YOUNG 
GALLERIES 
By CHILDE HASSAM 
Important J^alntings 
AMERICANan<^ 
FOREIGN MASTERS 
020 O^iftRLAvonw 
Now featuring 
LOUIS KRONBERG 
AT FIFTIETH STREET 
ILLUSTRATED BROCHURE 
ON REQUEST 
RAKS 
ANTIQUES 
FOUR FOLD LEATHER SCREEN, AFTER LOUIS XV, IN BEAUTIFUL SHADES 
I OF RED AND BLUE, ON A BACKGROUND OF RICH ANTIQUE DARK 
BROWN. OTHER SCREENS AS LOW AS $60. AND UP TO $3500. 
MANY CHOICE BITS FOR THE APPROPRIATE XMAS GIFT. 
554 MADISON AVE. NEW YORK 
Branch: 406 Madison Avenue—Between 47th and 48th Sts. 
This j r a m e has 
Baroque architec¬ 
tural motifs. The 
characteristic pillars, 
however, are missing 
Period Styles in Picture Frames 
{Continued from page 33) 
moldings with gadrooning, fluting, bead¬ 
ing, foliated scrolls and other motifs, im¬ 
mediately surrounding the picture. The 
tops and bottoms were adorned with 
shaped crestings and aprons, while at the 
sides were sometimes pillars or pilasters 
or, perhaps, grotesques, such as one often 
sees on the carved cassoni or cabinets 
of the period. The shaped crestings, 
which were very imposing, also ex¬ 
hibited human figures, cherubs, masques, 
grotesques or cartouches supported by 
scrolls or foliage. The shaped base orna¬ 
ments or aprons likewise displayed the 
same motifs, somewhat differently dis¬ 
posed. Not infrequently, also, fruit or 
flowers in bold relief formed the domi¬ 
nant decoration. Frames of this type 
were commonly carved boldly in wal¬ 
nut, although at times colors and gilt 
also were introduced. 
A third favorite type of Renaissance 
frame had exceedingly simple moldings 
of low relief, with a broad flat space 
between the outer and inner edges. This 
was usually devoted to polychrome and 
gilt decoration, or else was painted a 
solid color and relieved by touches of a 
contrasting color on the adjacent nar¬ 
row members of the moldings at each 
side. 
Still a fourth type, wholly gilt, con¬ 
sisted in almost its entire width of 
heavy pierced leafage, whose modeled 
carving and composition were graceful 
and balanced. Florence was especially 
noted for the excellence of design and 
workmanship in the frame of this stamp 
produced there. 
(2) The fixed architectural frames 
of the Renaissance were not, of course, 
nearly so numerous as the movable 
frames. Even in Italy, the home of 
painting, they were not as numerous as 
one might have fancied, because of the 
common practice of wholly or partially 
covering the walls with frescoes. Wheth¬ 
er in Italy, Spain, France or England, 
wherever the architectural frame oc¬ 
curred, it is well worthy of our close 
scrutiny. Especially is this the case 
with reference to the elaborate stucco 
or plaster frames devised to enclose 
mural paintings. Also of interest are 
the architecturally designed enclosures 
for paintings and reliefs at such points 
of focal interest as chimney-pieces and 
overdoor decorations. Of the former, 
admirable examples occur in the upper 
wall panels of the Gallery of Francis I, 
at Fontainebleau and, in slightly dif¬ 
ferent vein, in some of the old Italian 
palaces where broad paneled molded 
stucco pilasters, enriched with fruit, 
flower and arabesque motifs, frame in 
large pictures as a part of the fixed 
decorative scheme. Of the latter, one 
{Continued on page 70) 
Neo-Classic influence is shown in this Louis-Seize carved 
over-door panel. William Chester Chase, architect 
