How do I clean a gilt wood frame?

Dust the gilded wooden surface gently with a dry, soft brush to remove accumulated particles without disturbing the gold leaf. Avoid using water, liquid cleaners, or chemical solvents, as moisture strips historical gilding from the wood beneath.

Are these paintings on canvas or panel?

The works utilise both stretched canvas and solid wood panels as supports for the oil paint layers. Panel supports commonly appear in earlier seventeenth-century works, while canvas dominates the nineteenth-century selections.

Where should I hang a trumeau mirror?

Place the mirror on a primary wall in a principal room where natural light catches both the oil painting and the gilded frame. Ensure the wall supports the weight of the timber construction securely without exposing the piece to direct sunlight.

How can I tell the period of the frame?

Examine the construction joints of the wooden moulding and the composition of the gesso beneath the gold leaf. Earlier frames show hand-carving marks and layered preparation grounds distinct from later machine-milled mouldings.