Astragal frame
Unknown Artist
1640–50
Medium
Oak
Dimensions
Overall: 20 11/16 × 18 3/8 in. (52.5 × 46.6 cm) Sight: 15 7/8 × 13 9/16 in. (40.3 × 34.4 cm) Rabbet: 16 9/16 × 14 1/8 in. (42 × 35.8 cm)
Classification
Frames
Culture
French
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.2347
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Robert Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where this exquisite **Astragal frame** from mid-17th-century France (1640–50) captures the elegance of Baroque-era decorative arts. Crafted from sturdy oak by an unknown artisan, this frame measures 20 11/16 × 18 3/8 inches overall, designed to encase a painting with a sight size of 15 7/8 × 13 9/16 inches. Its name derives from the "astragal" molding—a subtle, bead-like convex profile that adds rhythmic depth and sophistication, a hallmark of French frame-making during the reign of Louis XIII. Oak's durability made i...