Origin of Framing - Part 1

by Artland Store July 21, 2022

A frame is a protective and decorative edge for a picture, poster, painting, or photograph. While the purpose of a frame is protection and decoration, it also sets the piece apart from its environment, however, it also integrates it with the environment in an aesthetic manner.

But how did frames first come about?

Framing has been around since the 2000 BC. Back then, frames were simply drawn borders around Etruscan cave paintings. Later, we see the use of framing borders in ancient art to divide scenes and ornamentation in pottery and wall paintings. This was a custom used by ancient Egyptian and Greek artists. Frames were also used to surround mummy portraits in ancient Egypt.

Sources:

Diane Day (August 1998), "A Survey of Frame History, Part 1" (PDF). Picture Framing Magazine: 82, 84. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 28, 2006.

Church Hill Classics (October 2008). "The History of Frames" (blog). http://www.diplomaframe.com/chc-blog/the-history-of-frames/#:: text=Frames%20have%20existed%20since%20the%20frames%20were%20handcrafted%20from%20wood.

[online] 2022. Picture frame-Wikipedia. [online] Picture frame, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_frame#cite_note-j1-3> [Accessed 14 July 2022].

Origin of Framing - Part 1

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