The Biggest – A few years ago a corporate client brought in a large silkscreen triptych, with the request that the three images be floated on a flecked linen background. The piece was then to be assembled in a narrow, 3 inch deep maple “box” style frame with plexiglass as the glazing.  We realized that the finished piece would be about 8 feet high by 12 feet wide, which presented several problems: first of all, most mouldings are manufactured in 8’ – 10’ lengths, meaning the moulding for this project would need to be custom milled. The next problem that would need to be addressed would be reinforcing the frame, since a frame that narrow and deep would require a special strainer with cross braces running vertically. This strainer would need to be screwed into the rabbet of the frame.  Since plexi typically comes in 4’ x 8’ sheets, we had to request a custom sheet directly from the manufacturer. The final problem was the fabric; we needed a bolt of linen at least 100 inches wide, and most come no more than 72 inches wide. After much pleading, weeping and gnashing of teeth, a large piece was located through a distributor in New York.  To create a backing for the fabric, 4’ x 8’ sheets of quarter-inch board were screwed to the strainers, with the gaps reinforced from behind and filled in the front. The fabric was mounted to the backing (rather than stretched) to create a more stable base for the artwork to be attached to.  Once final assembly was completed, the hanging system was installed. To keep the piece tight to the wall, we screwed metal “T” plates to the strainers, ran cable through holes in the plates, then secured the cable by looping it through steel pinchers which tighten up when stress is applied.  The piece was completed on time and picked up by the client. Pleased and relieved that the job went out with no major complications, we couldn’t help but utter those words familiar to all who do custom work: “We shoulda charged more.”

The Oldest – We’ve framed numerous prints and paintings spanning the past 4 centuries, including a land grant written by William Penn, 17th century Italian architectural plans, Japanese woodblock prints dating back to the 18th century and early maps covering every part of the globe.  Probably the oldest piece we’ve ever done was a map of the world published in 1590 by Dutch mapmaker Abraham Ortelius. The map was in excellent condition. This is not unusual, since many maps from the 16th and 17th centuries were printed on a heavy stock of rag paper, making them durable and acid-free. We framed it in a burl moulding with a wide, 17th century Dutch profile, along with a neutral, conservative French mat consisting of a pale wash band and decorative lines. (Although French matting did not come into style until the 18th century, it works well with maps of any period).  The mat was hinged to a rag backboard and the map itself was attached to the backboard with Japanese tissue hinges and cooked rice starch paste. The glazing was UV filtering glass, making the framing package totally archival. The customer plans on bringing the piece back in 400 years so it can be evaluated for signs of deterioration.

The Most Hectic – We’ve done quite a few large-scale orders over the years, ranging from 25 prints to 150 posters. Much of this work is done for corporate interiors, hospitals, hotels, etc. All of this work is deadline driven, so it is essential that orders be completed on time. This sometimes leads to manic behavior on our part.  Perhaps the most stressful job occurred 5 years ago. The project was not especially large (25 pieces) and the deadline not particularly tight. Initially, things went pretty smoothly – the prints were dry mounted and matted without a problem and the glass was cut in advance. Things started to get dicey when we found the moulding was back ordered and would not arrive until 2 days before the deadline. This was not insurmountable, so waited for the moulding, which arrived, as promised, 2 days before our delivery date.  What arrived was 300 feet of seriously defective wood; the moulding was warped and knotted with a defective finish, the result of a manufacturing error. (It happens.) We called the manufacturer and explained our dilemma. We requested replacement moulding, only this time chopped to our specifications in order to save time. If everything arrived to our satisfaction, that would leave 24 hours to join all 25 frames and assemble the finished pieces.  The chopped moulding arrived, passed inspection, and after an all night framing marathon the prints were delivered with roughly an hour to spare. Payment arrived promptly 4 months later.

The Most Interesting - This is tough, since we’ve handled many fascinating items. We’ve done restorations on some truly stunning antique frames, shadowboxed African tribal masks and framed many beautiful natural history prints and paintings. However, we’re partial to 18th-19th century Japanese prints and artwork, so if we had to narrow it down our favorite two pieces would be a woodblock print of a geisha dating from 1820 by the artist Toyokuni I and a 12” x 70” hand-painted Japanese scroll from the mid 19th century depicting a market scene. Both pieces were framed simply in neutral rag mats with hand-finished, “box” style cherrywood frames with splined corners. The pieces were done for different clients and both had a clean, elegant look when finished.