RG - Les Cadres Gault

It all began at the end of the 19th century in Paris, near the Canal Saint Martin.

The company, founded by Emile GAULT and specializing in framing and the manufacture of carved wooden frames, opened a store on Rue Bonaparte in 1936 in the heart of Saint Germain des Prés.

This address became a must-visit destination, where Picasso, Chagall, and Dali could be seen framing their works.

Today, the store is located on Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, and in order to remain close to its customers and continue to provide them with the best possible service, another store was opened in Geneva, followed by one in Moscow.

From generation to generation, the staff are trained by the elders. Precise movements, a love of a job well done, experience, creativity: this subtle alchemy forms the foundation of RG Les Cadres GAULT.

For over a century, we have been manufacturing and restoring frames and mirrors, perpetuating the tradition of our craft in both the techniques we use and the materials we select.

In our workshops, carpenters, wood carvers, finishers, and gilders combine their expertise to strive for excellence. All our frames are made entirely by hand.

We are delighted to welcome you to our stores, where you will find our frames on display for sale; our artisan framers are on hand to help you with your needs. Trained in traditional techniques, they will be able to advise you on the choice of frames or mirrors according to your needs: taste, style, period. They can also guide you on the materials, cardboard, and glass that meet the latest requirements for the protection and conservation of your works.

We also sell various hanging systems and can come to your home to install them.

Frame manufacturing

 

In our workshops, everything is made using traditional methods. Here we present the different stages involved in making a frame.

First step: carving

In our workshops, everything is made using traditional methods. Here we present the different stages involved in making a frame.


FIRST STEP: CARVING

The frame or motif to be carved arrives unfinished. The carver draws the motif to be created and carves the outlines with gouges corresponding to the design.

The second step consists of removing the wood to reveal the motifs and create the volumes. The final step, the cernage, refines the details.

Once the four sides are finished, the frame is assembled and joined together to ensure a perfect finish.
Once the frame or glass is finished, the finishers can begin their work.

SECOND STEP: PRIMING
 
The object arrives unfinished, is glued (rabbit skin glue and Meudon white) and bleached (same mixture but thicker) with a brush.

The priming: once dry, the white areas are smoothed with a cloth and water. Then the repair work begins, during which all the ornaments are cleared and chiseled with a repair iron.

THIRD STEP: GILDING

Once the work is complete, the frame is sent for gilding, where it is glued (with ochre and rabbit skin glue) and covered with a traditional red-colored coating (a mixture of clay and rabbit skin glue).

When the ground coat is dry, the gold leaf can be applied. The gold leaf is applied using a marten hair gilding palette.

When the gold is dry, it is burnished with agate stone to obtain shiny areas.

The final step is the patina. This allows us to achieve all shades of gold, from very new to very old, according to our customers' wishes.

We manufacture and restore frames and mirrors for lovers of fine craftsmanship. Below is a non-exhaustive list of paintings by artists that we have framed.

Beckma Max
Bonnard Pierre
Braque Georges
Caillebotte Gustave
Cezanne Paul
Chagall Marc
Jean-Baptiste Chardin
Corot Camille
Dali, Salvador
David Jacques-Louis
Degas, Edgar
Delacroix Eugène
Robert Delaunay
Derain André
Jean Dubuffet
Dufy Raoul
Ernst Max
Jean-Honoré Fragondar
Gauguin Paul
Guardi, Francesco
Ingres J.A.D.
Kandinsky Wassily
Klee, Paul
Klimt Gustav
Laurencin Marie
Leger Fernand
Lempicka, Tamara de
Manet, Édouard
Matisse Henri
Miro Joan
Modigliani Amadeo
Monet Claude
Morisot Berthe
Picabia Francis
Picasso, Pablo
Pissarro Camille
Poussin Nicolas
Renoir, Pierre Auguste
Schiele, Egon
Seurat, Georges
Signac, Paul
Sisley, Alfred
Soutine Chaim
Staël Nicolas de
Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de
Vallotton Felix Edouard
Van Dongen Kees
Van Gogh Vincent
Maurice Vlaminck
Vuillard Edouard
Warhol Andy
Watteau Jean-Antoine