As I was walking in the lovely Mediterranean pine forests around Bellver Castle in Palma de Mallorca, I noticed all the new plantings of small bushes and young trees. Every one of these plantings was carefully enclosed in a circle of stones.
It started me thinking about framing and enclosures, whether of plants, animals, land, jewels, artwork and so much more. I remembered the really impressive plain white Greek marble frames around the Claude Monet water lily paintings hung so elegantly in the Chichu Art Museum, on Naoshima Island, Japan. How eloquent a statement about how those paintings are esteemed.
In the Claude Monet Gallery, Chichu Art Museum, Naoshima, Japan , (Image courtesy of www.harpersbazaararabia.com)
In truth, as an artist, I view framing a drawing or painting as much more than just ensuring its protection. By the choice of enclosure or frame, you are implying to viewers that the artwork is worthy of respect and attention. The type of frame gives an implicit message about how the viewer should approach the work and also often tells one about the time period of its creation. Think, for example, of the wonderful frames on art from the 16th and 17th century in Europe – from Corneille de Lyon to miniatures enclosed like jewels.
Corneille de Lyon (c.1500/10–d.1575), Louise de Rieux, 1550, (Image courtesy of the Musée du Louvre)
Henri Toutin (1614-83), Portrait of Charles I, 1636, enamel on gold, 6.5 x 5.5 cm., original frame, (Image courtesy of the Rijksmuseum)
In fact, this portrait of Charles I was so valued that it was created as a “portrait box” or “miniature box”. This was a custom that started in Renaissance Europe: an ivory or jewelled case was created to safeguard the miniature portrait painting.
Picture framing is a wonderful and complex art that frequently reflects the tastes of a particular era; we have all seen historical paintings that have been reframed in museums, sometimes felicitously, sometimes not. Considerations of gilding and play of light on gold in frames detracting from the painting or enhancing it, messages given by the frame itself, downplaying the frame to allow the painting to be the focus of all attention - a multitude of options.
Ferdinand Bol with Willem van de Velde II, Portrait of Michiel de Ruyter, 1667, (Image courtesy of the Mauritshuis)
This amazing frame, known as a trophy frame, is perhaps not quite in the category of the painting being “cherished”, for the portrait of Admiral de Ruyter celebrated his victories in a 1666 battle during the Four Day War fought by the Dutch Republic. Nonetheless, both portrait and frame conveyed messages of importance and esteem, probably of propaganda too, At the other extreme of a frame enclosing a painting is one of the few original Edgar Degas frames remaining, one that he designed himself and wanted to be so discreet that it served only to protect and present the canvas. The wooden frame, painted in green echoed the colour of nature.
Degas, Baigneuse allongée sur le sol, c.1885, pastel on paper, (Image courtesy of the Musée d’Orsay)
Cherishing things and places takes so many forms, In its widest sense, one could argue that fencing in a property is in fact a statement of the importance of that land to its owner; not only is the fence one of delineation of ownership, it is also an implicit statement of the esteem and care the owner devotes to the property. A far wider version of the ring of stones around the tiny trees that I saw in the Bellver Castle forest. Another example of cherishing nature is, I would argue, the art of bonsai. Skill and utter devotion to the care of these miniaturised trees in their beautiful small containers represent a high art of enclosure.
800 Year old bonsai tree, at Shunka-en, Tokoyo, by Kunio Kobayashi
Everyone has different boxes in which one puts special things. Boxes are a wonderment of diversity, down the centuries. Whether it was a strongbox in medieval times, for valuable coins and documents, or a wonderful small box for shirt studs in more recent times, the message was the same: the contents of this box are important. Look at this Japanese writing box, created at a time when paper was valuable and writing an art form, accomplished with ink-stone and water dropper.
Writing box; black lacquered wood, gold, maki-e, abalone shells, silver and corroded lead strips (bridges); 1700, Edo period, Ogata Korin (Image courtesy of Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo)
Another box that speaks long of cherishing is a jewellery box, which in times past could be made of precious materials itself. Its message was one of the contents representing considerable value to the owner.
Ivory, wood with carved decoration and engraved silver casket with a Kufic inscription on the lid offering wishes and the date 355 AH. Period of the Umayyad Caliphs of Córdoba, used for jewels and other valuables
Bunraku puppets, Kamiyama, Japan (Photograph J. Cook)
Bunraku puppet and puppeteer, Kamiyama, Japan (Photograph J. Cook)
Bunraku puppet boxes, Kamiyama, Japan (Photograph J. Cook)
We humans have been finding ways to keep safe what we deem precious and important for aeons. Most of the time, cherishing something requires enclosing it or delineating and defining it against all comers. What a protective, territorial species we are!