One of my favourite things that I own is a huge print of
a Japanese lady in a kimono by the artist Haruyo Morita.
She’s lovely: colourful and elegant and with a hint of a
smile on her lips. But what made me choke on my own
teeth with excitement when I saw her on the second-
hand platform Vinterior was the frame she was in: 12cm
of carved yellow and gold wood, followed by a further
5cm wooden mount. The picture was £175 including
delivery, which, as a picture framer later confirmed for
me, was less than the value of the wooden frame alone.In the frame
Statement frames are having a moment – and can often be more
thrilling than the picture itself, says Pandora Sykes
A find she was, but the truth is that I’m often left
breathless with pleasure over a picture frame. It doesn’t
have to be particularly ornate, either. I love the
simplicity of a double white mount and white wooden
frame as much as I do Etalage’s rainbow-hued bobbin
numbers, or Matilda Goad’s stripy lacquered ovals.
“Framing is as important as the artwork itself and can
completely redefine how the art is perceived,” says
Rosie Saunt, co-founder of the antique art and reprints
business Petri Prints, which is known for its clever Victoria Adamson for Bed Threads34 • The Sunday Times Style