Ovolo frame
Unknown Artist
1660–80
Medium
Oak
Dimensions
Overall: 13 7/16 × 11 5/16 in. (34.2 × 28.8 cm) Sight: 7 1/4 × 5 in. (18.4 × 12.7 cm) Rabbet: 8 1/2 × 6 1/8 in. (21.6 × 15.5 cm)
Classification
Frames
Culture
French
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.2268
Art Historical Context
This elegant Ovolo frame, crafted in oak by an unknown French artisan between 1660 and 1680, exemplifies the refined woodworking of Louis XIV's era. The "ovolo" refers to its convex molding profile, shaped like a smooth, egg-like curve (from the Italian *ovolo*, meaning "egg"), which was a hallmark of 17th-century French frame design. Measuring 13 7/16 × 11 5/16 inches overall, a sight opening of 7 1/4 × 5 inches, it was likely intended to encase a small portrait or devotional painting, enhancing its presentation in a domestic or ecclesiastical setting. During the Grand Siècle, frames like th...