SPECIALTIES

OUR SPECIALTIES

French Matting

French matting is an ancient technique using pale, watercolor wash panels and ink lines around the perimeter of a matted piece of art. Many early European artists and engravers worked on paper. Their works were mounted onto larger sheets and bound into books or folios. They then created borders of lines and panels around their images to draw the eye inward, repeating the delicacy and contrasts of the images. This technique came to be known as French matting.

In the late sixties, Buchanan & Kiguel Fine Custom Picture Framing began the tedious task of not only rediscovering, but also reinventing those lost techniques. Today we offer hundreds of French mat designs, all of which can be tailored to specific needs. They are not only suitable for period framing, but also for all types of contemporary graphics and paper art.
Picture Frames — Alexandria, VA — Buchanan and Kiguel Fine Custom Picture Framing

Shadowboxes and Recessed Framing

Everyone has special objects that are ideally suitable for display in their home. These treasures often require a recessed or shadowbox framing effect. To that end, we have an extensive collection of deep picture frame moldings, as well as fabric-covered liners used to achieve the proper depth needed for the given framing project.

Buchanan & Kiguel also has a vast selection of fabrics of varying types for the correct period background for any subjects such as coins, medals, jewelry, arrowheads, buttons, miniature portraits, clothing items, etc.

Conservation of Paper Art

All paper-borne art is subject to the detrimental effects of light, atmospheric pollutants and mishandling. We strongly encourage framing with the use of acid-free materials and museum glass to filter out the damaging effects of ultraviolet light.

Those works that have suffered negative effects can be corrected by proper conservation, which can reverse aesthetic damage and significantly reduce future deterioration.

A few of the paper conservation techniques that we offer are:
  • Cleaning
  • Lifting
  • De-acidification
  • Alkalization
  • Lining
  • Repair and Mending
Hand Fan — Alexandria, VA — Buchanan and Kiguel Fine Custom Picture Framing
Contact Buchanan & Kiguel Fine Custom Picture Framing at any of our 3 locations in Alexandria, VA, Charlottesville, VA and Orange, VA.
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