Triptych Showcases Framing Prowess
"...we became interested in one specific triptych dating from the fifteenth century, and we challenged ourselves to recreate it."
From the Picture Framing Magazine | April 2025 Issue
by Jason Fewin of the Parkville Frame Gallery in Parkville, MO
The Parkville Frame Gallery is located in Parkville, MO, just minutes north of Kansas City. As a mid-size gallery in a sports-oriented town, we see a lot of Patrick Mahomes football jerseys. We also see items that are less predictable. For example, we have framed a mother-of-pearl carving of The Last Supper, an original document signed by French King Louis XIV dated 1683. We consistently challenge ourselves to come up with new ideas and new projects.
Our experience has shown us that some of our customers not only need our assistance in selecting designs for frames, mat, and glazing selections, but they also sometimes needed assistance when selecting the artwork itself. We believe that helping customers select artwork - and helping them better understand the art world in general - benefits our core business. One way to assist our customers in learning more about the art world was to create what we call our Art Advisor Program. That program is designed to provide insight into all the various aspects of the art world.
One part of our Art Advisor Program is our bimonthly newsletter, which we post on our website. One of our archived newsletters is titled Diptychs, Triptychs, and Polyptychs. While researching that newsletter, we became interested in one specific triptych dating from the fifteenth century, and we challenged ourselves to recreate it. Note that diptychs have two panels; triptychs have three panels; and a polyptych has more than three panels.
Why frame a fifteenth-century triptych with a religious them, you might ask? Good question. We sometimes frame artwork with a religious theme because we think that style of art has a somewhat universal appeal. In his 2024 book All the Beauty in the World, Patrick Bringley, a former museum security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, mentions one painting from among countless others in the MET as his favorite: a crucifixion painted by Fra Angelico, a fifteenth-century Dominican friar.
Bringley wrote, "I like when art's old. I like the look of tempera paint on heavy wood panels and cracking gold leaf with is red clay peeking through. I like old Christian art and its luminous sadness."
We were drawn to our specific triptych because we felt that the artwork and frame style are something that you don't experience every day and that our customers would find it interesting. We thought that a triptych would allow us an opportunity to demonstrate a complexity of frame design and construction that showcases our craft well.
We bought a small giclée reproduction of a triptych printed on paper from our regular print supplier. We cut the print into three pieces and framed the pieces using glass for the glazing. Triptychs from the fifteenth century were often joined with hinges so that they could be venerated while open or stored closed to protect the painting from smoke (burning candles), humidity, and dirt. For authenticity, we also hinged our triptych. Triptychs are sometimes painted on both the front and back. We could not find any prints that show artwork on the backs of the three panels, so we covered the backs with smooth black cloth, which presents a nicely finished appearance when the triptych is closed.
The original triptych in the MET is shown framed with a narrow gold frame. We selected a similar product (Larson-Juhl's Hudson Gold). After a little trial and error, we worked out the angles and cut and joined the various pieces. The print on the main panel of our triptych measures 10½" wide x 18" tall. The prints on the left and right wings each measure 4½" wide x 18" tall. Framed, the main panel measures 12" wide x 19.6" tall; each of the wings measure 6" wide x 19.6" tall.
Contact jason@parkvilleframegallery.com | (816) 326-7949
