Swept frame
Unknown Artist
1750–60
Medium
Oak lower moldings and feather keys; lime upper moldings
Dimensions
Overall: 31 11/16 × 25 13/16 in. (80.5 × 65.5 cm) Sight: 21 7/16 × 15 9/16 in. (54.5 × 39.6 cm) Rabbet: 22 1/2 × 16 1/8 in. (57.2 × 41 cm)
Classification
Frames
Culture
French
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.2259
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 18th-century France with this exquisite *Swept frame* from 1750–60, a masterful example of period frame-making now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Robert Lehman Collection. Craft by an unknown artisan, its design features sweeping, fluid curves—characteristic of the era's dynamic lines—that would have elegantly encased a painting, elevating it as both protector and ornament. The frame's construction highlights skilled woodworking techniques: sturdy oak forms the lower moldings and feather keys (traditional wooden joints for stability), while softer li...