1cs Proj&stonal Notes

Picture Framing II: 1660; Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford,

Two (?)Antwerp Picture Connecticut) and its pendant, the Alleg-

o~y of Salvation (York City Art Gallery)

Frames in Mid-17th were reunited in the Naiional Gallery,

Century Seville London, in the exhibition Spmzish Still Lift from b’elhqtiez to Goya (February- May 19%). Attention was then drawn to

Separated in 1938, the A&gory of Vanity, by Juan de ValdPs Lea1 (signed and dated

his virtuosity in the ‘representation of objects charged with symbolic meaning,

Allegory of Salvation, by Juan de Valdts Leal, oil on canvas, 130 X 99 cm., York City- Art Gallery, included in the exhibition Spanrjh Still /.$K from Velkzquez to Goya at the National Gallery, I.ondon. The frame around the [-7aintin g of 7%c Crucifiximz in the background is mow likely to have been imported from Antwerp than made in Seville.

Prof~3sionnl Notes 109

signifving the futility, in the face of death, of all worldly attainments and ambitions (W.B. Jordan & I? Cherry, Spanish Still Life from Velizquez to Goya, London, 1995, p. I 15). In the Allegory of Vanity an angel draws the attention of the observer away from the magnificent heap of books,’ jewellery, crown and sccptre, bishop’s mitrc and papal tiara in the foreground to the painting of The Last Jtzdgement being unveiled behind. The consummate skill with which Valdcs Lea1 has developed the complex layers of symbolism encourages one to look for decpcr mean ings in every component, and the black frame in the background, with its strongly sculptural carved and gilded ornaments, is of an unusual type for 1660 in Spain.

projecting protective structure which appears to include a pelmet. Not all the details of the construction of the latter are entirely clear in the painting. However, both frames are basically flat in profile with heavy ripple mouldmgs on both the sight edge and the outer edge, adding rich texture to the background of the carved

In the pendant, the Alfegou~~ of Salva- tion, the curtain covering the painting in the background is almost entirely drawn back, revealing The Cuicifixion. Its frame, again black with even more sculp- tural carved and gilded ornaments depict- ing the Instruments of the Passion, together with the Sudarium, follows the same basic design, though the curtain, carried bv rings on a rod, with draw strings, forms part of d more elaborate

decorations which are evidently almost fully in the round. In Northern Europe this’ basic pattern of picture framing is documented from the 165Os, which accords well with the date of 1660 on the Allegory of Vanity, but both the frames depicted have much more in common with Flemish frames of the period than Spanish. Thus, given the date of 1660 for the Allegory of Vanity, perhaps one might speculate that amongst the contemporary vanities then enjoyed in Seville may have been two exceptionally elaborate frames in the latest taste recently imported from Antwerp? but at the least this pair of paintings provide an intriguing contribu- tion to the growing corpus of dated and dateablc framed p&tings within paint- ings.

Photo Credit: York City Art Gallcry

Pl.TI:K CANNc)N-BKOOhES

Security: The F-5000 Net

Fiber-Optic

Developed in Israel bv Tram Securitv. Systems 8r Technology Ltd., the F-5OOC Fiber-Optic Perimeter Securitv Svstcm shows great promise for museum appli- cations, and not only for standard peri- meter securitv purposes. Each fiber optic net is comprised of a square ma11 made from a single looped optic cable reinforced at each cross-over point bv a plastic button bonded b!, ultrasonic welding. Infra-red light is pulsed through the length of the looped cable and anv damage to it, CJLISC~ 1~1, cutting

or other interference, may be detected immediately. In Israel such fiber-optic nets arc used to reinforce the cffective- ncss of mechanically stronger barriers and other systems, above all for perma- nent perimeter security applications, but the very lightness and flexibility of the fiber-optic net, and its minimal power rcquircmetits, also makes it ideal for temporary security applications.

How often have museum escorts nce- ded an effective portable barrier to con- trol access to a consignment during transit?-when placed in a ‘secure’ ware- I~OLISC o\ ernight, for example-and the ‘tails’ of such a net mav bc themselves looped through it to form, in effect, a bag before being attached to the clectro-optic