Vintage Carved Gilt Wood BLACK Gold Baroque Picture Frame Cassetta 13x11 Mirror
This massive 17th century style Spanish Cassetta frame has traditional mortise and tenon construction with hand carved details, heavy gesso and genuine gold leaf framing a black tempera frieze with oil gilt foliate arabesques.. Clearly the work of an important framing studio, this frame is difficult to date: possibley 19th century or more likely early 20th c. The molding is a massive 5 1/2" wide x 2 5/8" deep and the frame measures 23 1/4" x 23 3/8" overall with 12 5/16" x 10 3/8" reveal and 13 1/4" x 11 1/4" back rabbet opening.
The rabbet is a roomy 1 1/4 deep. As the images show, there is some chipping and loss in the gilt gesso and some shrinkage lines at the wide mortise joints with some accompanying loss.
Though these are the sort of imperfections one would expect to find in a 17th century frame. It is sturdy and usable with the back having been sanded and re-sealed... Probably to house an old master painting.