Custom picture framing liners and mats create a slight visual pause between the detail of the art and the intricacy of the frame carving. They provide a smooth transition between the frame and the artwork and contribute toward the polished overall impression of the framed artwork.

100% COTTON RAG MAT BOARD | MUSEUM MAT BOARD

Josef Albers Homage to the Square Oliver Brothers Art Restoration Boston

Josef Albers “Homage to the Square”

Albers prints are framed with 8 ply Museum Rag Mat Board, also known as double thick mat board.

Cotton rag mat board, or “museum board,” is used by museums, libraries, and professional framers to preserve and exhibit artwork, documents, and other treasured objects.  Unlike wood pulp, cotton is free of contaminants. Wood pulp has damaging acid and lignin.  Lignin causes paper fibers to breakdown, creating acidic byproducts.

Only museum-grade mat boards contain no lignin or acid.  Lower-quality mat boards that claim to be acid-free may have been treated to neutralize acid, but lignin remains.  Rag mat museum board has 100% cotton construction to ensure that artwork comes in contact with only non-damaging materials.  In addition to being free of lignin and acid, cotton also has long, flat fibers that intertwine to create a strong, durable, and resilient mat board.

100% cotton rag mats have been tested and recommended by the United States Library of Congress.  You can find more information HERE.

100% cotton rag mats are also recommended by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) , the Canadian Conservation Institute , Fine Art Trade Guild (United Kingdom) , and the PPFA (Professional Picture Framing Association) (Comparative Standards for Matboard – “Class 1 – Highest quality framing” quality level).

In addition to 100% rag mat options we also offer fabric wrap mat board or liners with gilded bevels. Liners and mats can be wrapped in any of five hundred and fifty choices of fabrics.

100% RAG MAT BOARDS | EXAMPLES

Henri Cartier-Bresson photo

Henri Cartier-Bresson photograph of Henri Matisse, Vence, France 1944

float mount example | rag mat substrate

Preservation custom picture framing

Dragan Grujic, Antelope Canyon

Two color photographs with 4 ply Rag Mat

Rag mat Boards Custom framing

Cotton Rag Mats provide the highest level of protection for artwork.

8 ply rag mat

Ruth Bernhard photograph “In the Box – Horizontal”, 1962

Black and White Photograph with 8 Ply Rag Mat

artwork preservation, rag mat

Pastel drawing framed with 100% Rag Mat and an Art Nouveau frame

FABRIC LINERS AND FABRIC MAT BOARDS

picture framing fabrics for liners and mats

550 fabric choices

Fabric mat board example used in custom picture framing

Fabric mat with fillet

Gold leaf traditional American picture frame, fabric mat and gilded bevel

Fabric liner with gold leaf bevel

Custom Picture framing, large selection of fabric mats

Fabric mat with fillet

French Matting

French matting is an ancient technique that uses watercolor wash panels and ink lines around the perimeter of a matted piece, combined with watercolor, ink, tempera, marbled papers, gesso and gold leaf. French matting offers endless customization possibilities. All materials used are archival, and all work is done by hand.

Arts and Crafts custom picture frame

Norman  Rockwell drawing framed with French mat (or French lines) and authentic Arts and Crafts reproduction frame in English wax finish

French mat (or French lines) example- custom picture framing

Portrait, restored and re-framed with French mat and
a gilded period frame

Leonardo Da Vinci, original drawing, restored and framed with french lines mat

Leonardo Da Vinci, original drawing, restored and framed

Albrecht Dürer framed by Oliver Brothers in Boston, French mat example

Albrecht Dürer ,French mat example

Eglomise Mats

Eglomise mats, also known as ‘black glass gilding’ or ‘reverse glass mats’ are handcrafted by painting glass black on the reverse side. The glass mat is enhanced with gold leaf lines.

reverse glass mats’ are handcrafted by painting glass black on the reverse side.

Gilded Liners

Gilded liner and barnwood example
Dutch finish picture frame and gold leaf liner
Gilded Spandrel

SPANDREL EXAMPLE

Example wide gilded liner and simple wooden custom picture frame

Fine Art Custom Nameplates

Custom gold leaf hardwood nameplates are available in different sizes. Nameplates come with rounded or square edges. All nameplates are museum quality and can be gilded in yellow 24k gold and white 12k gold.

Hand gilded name plate example
Engraved fine art nameplates, artist nameplates, nameplates for artwork, gilded
Gilded custom name plates for custom framing
Gilded custom name plates for custom framing
Custom frame for a One Dollar Bill

For more information about custom framing or an in-home framing consultation

please call 617-536-2323 or e-mail [email protected]

Contact Oliver Brothers or call us to schedulle an appointment at 617-536-2323

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