Exceptional picture frames

In addition to being a decorative object, the frame is an essential part of the presentation of a painting. It helps the viewer direct their gaze to the centre of the composition and focus their attention on it, while separating the physical space in which they are located from the fictitious scene represented by the artist. The museum is presenting an installation of eleven works from the Permanent Collection dating from the 14^th to the 17^th centuries which have frames - three of them the original ones - that exemplify the artistic importance of this element.