Behind an artwork, you will often find important information: a signature, notes written in the artist's hand, or museum labels documenting its exhibition history. To make this information accessible to the owner, our fitters make photocopies of any signatures, writing, or labels prior to closing up the frame.
However, sometimes a client may want to take it a step further and actually showcase the back. For these projects, we have several creative tools at our disposal — below are framing designs that turn the back of the frame into its own moment.
Displaying provenance
The back of this Niles Spencer piece shows a storied past. On the surface are marks, scribbles, and smudges of pigment (perhaps made by the artist himself) and provenance documenting one year of its life: a label from Weatherspoon Art Gallery in Greensboro, North Carolina shows the piece was lent to UNC Greensboro in 1977 for the school's spring exhibition, while a label from another gallery notes its presence at a dedicated Niles Spencer exhibition the following year.
A verso window makes this history accessible to the viewer, and UV-filtering acrylic keeps it sealed and safe. We love how special it feels, too — like a literal window into the past!
Vintage magazine
Verso windows are not just limited to artworks and provenance. They can also be used to preserve historical objects, like this 1934 edition of Time Magazine featuring a young Elsa Schiaparelli. During design consultations, one of our frame designers suggested a verso window to showcase the back cover of the magazine. Besides being beautifully illustrated, the ad represents a tiny snapshot of American cultural and commercial history. We elevated this window with a custom white-washed oak strainer to match the rest of the frame, plus UV-filtering acrylic to protect the magazine, front and back.
Showcasing a paired text
This piece is especially notable as an artwork made by our own head frame designer, Riley Wilson. To accompany the lithograph, Riley wanted to feature a written work on the back of the frame. The poem is floated with museum hinges inside an 8-ply window mat, encased in museum-grade acrylic, and fitted with a custom black-stained walnut strainer to match the rest of the frame. In typical Riley fashion, this work is framed with reverence, thoughtfulness, and a certain amount of artistic flare.
Double-sided standing frame
How to choose which side of this 1944 Jackson Pollock greeting card to display? Trick question — if you make it a double-sided standing frame, you don't have to! This frame was milled and joined in our woodshop, then water-gilded with 12k white gold leaf over black clay bole by our Master Gilder and team of apprentices. The card is hinged between 8-ply window mats and sandwiched with breathers and Optium acrylic between two interlocking frames. The frame stands upright and treats both sides of Pollock's handmade card with equal importance.
Curious what's on the back of your painting? Read about our verso window framing, or check this month's Frames of the Zodiac.