Traditional Framed Canvas Painting
These traditional framed canvas painting works bring centuries of oil paint, wood and gilt frames directly to domestic walls.
Traditional Framed Canvas Painting
A traditional framed canvas painting brings together stretched canvas, oil paint and wooden framing in forms ranging from portraits and landscapes to marine scenes and still life compositions.
The pieces spanning the Victorian period through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries demonstrate regional British, French and Dutch traditions.
Buyers encounter oil paintings on canvas housed within period giltwood and wood surrounds that anchor the artwork securely.
Materials and construction
Artists built these works by applying oil paint onto woven canvas stretched over wooden frames, then enclosing the result in carved wood and gilt surrounds.
Makers utilised gold leaf, gesso and wood to build heavy decorative frames that protected the canvas edges and completed the composition.
Several canvases record specific pigeons, prize bulls and family pets alongside stately portraits.
Distinctions in quality
The depth of handling in the oil paint and the structural integrity of the wooden frame separate standard decorative pieces from accomplished works.
Subtlety in brushwork and the original harmony between canvas and frame determine the standing of each painting.
William Oliver·Richard Sebastian Bond·William Beattie-Brown·Jozsef Molnar·William H Myers·George Graham·George Willison·I Berezny·John Horace Hooper·William McAlpine·Reginald Arthur Borstel·Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes·Sir Joshua Reynolds·Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr·George Houston·Thomas Barker of Bath·Thomas W Lascelles·David Bates
The Traditional Framed Canvas Painting Glossary
- Oil on Canvas
- Pigment suspended in a drying oil medium applied to a woven fabric support. This combination forms the primary medium for these historical artworks.
- Giltwood
- Wood carved and coated with gold leaf or metallic powder. Frames utilising this technique provide a bright border around the painted canvas.
- Still Life
- An artwork depicting inanimate subject matter such as fruit, flowers or domestic objects. These compositions focus on texture and light.
- Realism
- An artistic movement focused on depicting subjects truthfully without artificiality. This approach governs many of the portraits and landscapes seen here.
Traditional Framed Canvas Painting: Frequently Asked Questions
What periods do these paintings date from?
The works span from the eighteenth century through the Victorian era and into the mid-twentieth century.
Individual pieces reflect the shifting aesthetic tastes of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
What subjects are most common?
Portraits, landscapes, marine views and still life floral arrangements appear frequently across the collection.
Artists also recorded animals, rural scenes and historical subjects.
Are the frames original?
Many paintings retain their period wooden and gilt frames, which correspond to the era of creation.
Surrounds range from simple wood mouldings to elaborate gilt gesso designs.
How should these paintings be hung?
Traditional oil paintings require secure wall fixings capable of supporting the combined weight of canvas and wooden frame.
Placement away from direct sunlight and excessive moisture protects the oil paint and canvas.