The history of a 16th century frame

The «discovery» of a photograph, dating from the 1930s, presents a frame of great sculptural quality framing the painting Virgin with the Child and Saints, by Hans Holbein, The Elder (MNAA, inv. 1466 Pint), triggered a work of investigation. Starting from this document, an archival collection was carried out based on the comparative study of several photographic records, whose dates allowed us to approach and trace a museum chronology that revealed the successive exhibition changes and the number of frames (three in total) that the painting saw in the museum space, while drawing attention to the true sculptural work that these frames exhibit.

Frame
Iberian Peninsula, late
16th century
Polychrome oak wood
244 × 188 × 14 cm
Provenance: unknown
MNAA, inv. 3 Mold

EXHIBITION BOOKLET