Optium Museum Acrilic is the highest quality glazing protection on a market today. This state- of- the- art material is light weight, abrasion resistant, anti- reflective, anti- static, shatter proof ,and has maximum UV protection (99%).
Optium Museum Acrylic in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
FRAMING IN THE ROUND REQUIRES A CUSTOM APPROACH ON EVERY LEVEL
By Maureen O’Connor, Tru Vue® Marketing Manager
Published on Tru Vue Website, May 2019 LINK
When an Oliver Brothers customer brought in an antique map of battles and invasions in England and Ireland from the Norman Conquest (1066) to the Spanish Armada (1588), award-winning conservation framer, Mira Bishop, knew the project would require an extremely custom approach in order to make both sides of the nearly 400-year-old document visible.
Though Mira previously has framed “in the round,” she created a specific design for every little detail for this 17th-century map. The frame is gilded on both sides, which added time to the project due to the need to complete one side before moving to the next. The mats on each side are hand wrapped with silk fabric, and the bevels are also gilded. The gold tone of the gilding complements the rich colors that have survived the test of time.
An antique map of battles and invasions in England and Ireland from the Norman Conquest (1066) to the Spanish Armada (1588) 400-year-old document is visible on both sides and protected by the Optium Museum Acrylic.
The front and the back of the double- sided frame with custom base
For display and protection, the entire piece is glazed with Tru Vue® Optium Museum Acrylic®. Mira chose it not only for its degree of protection but also because its reflection-free surface allows maximum enjoyment of the colors and fine detail. Also being an acrylic glazing Optium is lightweight helping to reduce the weight of the overall piece.
“Right away, I recommended Optium Museum Acrylic because it provides 99% UV protection, is shatterproof, and offers unparalleled clarity,” said Mira. “It really is the highest-quality glazing available and was the best choice for a piece like this.”
Even with glazing on both sides of the piece, one of the obvious challenges of framing in the round is display. Without a back side to install hardware, plus the desire to show both sides of the piece without having to handle it, options are limited.
Because of the weight of the piece, the base needed to be quite heavy and sturdy. There are two bolts through the base and into the frame to keep the frame solidly in place.
“The project could be called ‘beyond custom,’ due to how complicated it was to make this piece truly special,” said Mira. “Yet, the hard work was very much worth it, and we were so excited to show the customer how well it turned out.”
Mira will be showing detailed photos of the frame as well as the assembly process during her presentation, “A Guide to Great Design,” at FRAMECON 2019. FRAMECON 2019 is organized by the New England Professional Picture Framers Association (NEPPFA) and takes place June 9-10, in Worcester, MA. Tru Vue is a sponsor of the NEPPFA. Click here for more details.
Collections Using Optium Acrylic Glazing
The world’s most renowned museums entrust the protection and preservation of their finest works of art to Optium Acrylic Glazing.
North America
- Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, CAN)
- Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
- Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville, AK)
- Denver Art Museum (Denver, CO)
- Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (Santa Fe, NM)
- High Museum of Art (Atlanta, GA)
- Indianapolis Museum of Art (Indianapolis, IN)
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles, CA)
- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY)
- Museum of Fine Art, Boston (Boston, MA)
- Museum of Fine Art, Houston (Houston, TX)
- Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY)
- Musical Instruments Museum (Tempe, AZ)
- New-York Historical Society (New York, NY)
- National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC)
- Norton Simon Museum (Los Angeles, CA)
- Saint Louis Art Museum (St. Louis, MO)
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco, CA)
- Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery (Washington, DC)
- The Morgan Library & Museum (New York, NY)
- Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, CAN)
- Walters Art Museum (Baltimore, MD)
- Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library (Wilmington, DE)
Europe
- Bibliotheque National du France (Paris, France)
- Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge, UK)
- FOMU – Fotomuseum provincie Antwerpen (Antwerp, BE)
- Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna (Rome, IT)
- Herakleidon Museum (Athens, GR)
- Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt (Darmstadt, DE)
- Mauritshuis Museum (The Hague, NL)
- Musee d’Orsay (Paris, FR)
- Musee Auguste Rodin (Paris, FR)
- Museum of London (London, UK)
- Museum Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid, ES)
- Opificio delle Pietre Dure Museum (Florence, IT)
- Palazzo Pitti (Florence, IT)
- Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, NL)
- Southampton City Art Gallery (Southampton, UK)
- Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK): National Gallery of Denmark (Copenhagen, DK)
- Wallraf-Richartz-Museum (Köln, DE)
Asia
- China Central Academy of Fine Art (Beijing, CN)
- Hong Kong Museum of Art (Hong Kong)
- National Art Museum of China (Beijing, CN)
- Shanghai Art Museum (Shanghai, CN)
Latin America
- Sao Paulo Museum of Art (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
- Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño (Mexico City, Mexico)
Australia/New Zealand
- Auckland Art Gallery (Auckland, NZ)
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Wellington, NZ)
- National Gallery of Australia (Canberra, Australia)
- National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, Alexander Turnbull Library Collections (Wellington, NZ)
Middle East
- Museum of Islamic Art (Doha, Qatar)
You can find out more about Museum Glass HERE