French Pietra Dura & Ormolu Double Portrait Easel Frame

This exceptionally decorative French easel frame dates to the mid 1880s, and combines intricate ormolu work with a beautifully executed pietra dura panel. Elaborate scrolling foliage and finely modeled leaves rise to a pierced foliate crest, forming a graceful frame.

An oval pietra dura panel rests at the center, an exacting decorative technique in which individually cut and polished pieces of colored stone are fitted together to create a design. Delicate flowers and leaves in contrasting colored stones rest against a rich black ground. The panel forms the hinged front of the frame, opening to reveal a second oval compartment within and allowing two portraits to be displayed in an unusual double-frame design. A folding easel support on the reverse lets the piece stand independently.

Originally retailed by Melliship & Harris, this diminutive frame brings together the color and precision of pietra dura with the elaborate ornament of late 19th-century French decorative metalwork.

6-1/2″ High x 6″ Wide

Circa 1885