Museum - Knife-carved Monoxyl Frame - Folk Art - Geometric Decoration

Late 19th century – Auvergne, Haute-Loire France Beautiful fruitwood frame, carved in one piece and meticulously sculpted with a knife. The decoration, entirely handmade, consists of a series of rosettes and geometric stars, forming a continuous frieze of remarkable regularity. This patient work, inherited from a deeply rooted popular tradition, testifies to the skill of mountain craftsmen in transforming a simple piece of wood into an object of art. The reverse bears the name of its maker, “Girodet Claude,” giving this frame a rare identity in popular art, where most works remain anonymous. The surface retains in places an old layer of varnish, patinated by time, which highlights the relief of the motifs and adds to the depth of the whole. Intended to hold a pious image, a portrait, or a photograph, this frame was not a simple support, but a domestic setting. Its presence on a mantelpiece or sideboard enhanced the emotional value of the image it contained, inscribing the intimate in the everyday setting. Each notch, each engraved motif tells a silent story: that of a peasant-artisan sculpting in the evening, leaving through his gestures the mark of a memory and a fervor. Condition: small wear, traces of old varnish, stable surface and rich in its patina. Dimensions: height 34 cm, width 27.5 cm ALL DELIVERIES ARE MADE BY DHL EXPRESS ONLY.