At Goldleaf Framemakers of Santa Fe, we believe that the period of the picture frame should match the period of the artwork it surrounds.

This is the guiding principle of our picture framing philosophy. Owner Marty Horowitz explains: "If a client comes in with an Italian painting, and we frame it with an American frame, the client may return, dissatisfied, but not knowing what's wrong. You can take good art and a good frame, but still fail to create the proper marriage of art and frame." We strive for the perfect marriage every time at Goldleaf Framemakers.

As our name suggests, we focus on hand-carved, goldleaf period picture frames. Each staff member in the workshop is trained in all areas of the framemaking and gilding processes. In fact, we manufacture over two-thirds of the frames we sell. We also offer mouldings from industry vendors, including wood finish and metal frames. Our more than 2,000 corner samples are organized by geographic origin and period. When we look at an artwork, we can go straight to the correct grouping of corner samples, and narrow our selections from there.

We offer attentive, personal service to our customers. Our service standards require that we use only the highest quality materials, including museum quality glass, rag mats, and frames lined with felt and acid-free tape. We never alter stretchers in any way.

Many of our framing jobs are produced for galleries, museums, art shows, and other public venues. In addition to our work for museums and galleries in Santa Fe, the frames we produce travel to exhibitions all over the United States. As a result, individuals who have seen our frames often contact the shop about framing their artwork.

For a number of years, clients sent in photos and measurements of their artwork to find the “perfect” frame. Our usual procedure was to find several possible designs and send photos of the corner samples back to the client. This visual collaboration allowed us to arrive at the best possible frame for the piece.

Now the Internet has enabled us to offer a new service: Through the use of digital imaging, the artwork can be “virtually framed” and the results e-mailed (or sent in hard copy) to the client. This way, our clients can see their framed artwork in advance.

Since the mid-1990’s, we have increasingly focused on the replication and restoration of antique frames. This is a natural expansion of our work with gilded picture frames and art objects. “The cost of antique frames has gone so high that people are having their antique frames restored,” says Marty, who responds to restoration requests from all over the country. “After looking at a few photos I can usually tell if a frame's worth restoring and about how much it will cost. Once I receive the actual frame, I can give a better estimate.”

Hand carved goldleaf framemaking may be an Old World craft, but at Goldleaf Framemakers of Santa Fe, we believe we have joined the best of the old with the best of the new to offer the ultimate in fine picture framing.

Information and photos on this page first appeared in Picture Framing Magazine, January 2002.