Reverse cassetta frame
Unknown Artist
1630–40
Medium
Poplar
Dimensions
Overall: 19 1/2 × 23 13/16 in. (49.5 × 60.5 cm) Sight: 12 1/16 × 16 9/16 in. (30.6 × 42 cm) Rabbet: 14 5/8 × 19 in. (37.2 × 48.3 cm)
Classification
Frames
Culture
Italian, Naples (?)
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.2335
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Reverse cassetta frame*, crafted around 1630–40 in, Italy (?), exemplifies the refined woodworking traditions of the early Baroque period. Made from poplar—a lightweight, carvable wood favored by Italian framemakers—the frame measures 19½ × 23⅞ inches overall, with a sight opening of 12 × 16½ inches designed to elegantly encase a painting. Its "reverse cassetta" design an inverted profile, where the central hollow creates a subtle shadow play, drawing the viewer's eye inward and enhancing the artwork it holds. In 17th-century Italy, especially vibrant Naples under Spanish infl...