| Project by Peter O | posted 649 days ago | 631 views | 0 times favorited | 12 comments |  |
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This is a little Valentine’s day gift for Marianne. I bought her the illuminated leaf for Christmas 2006, and it has been in the safe ever since. I built a display for it once before, but it was lost in the fire.
About the Illuminated Manuscript:
The piece of parchment is from a Book of Hours, which is a prayer book containing the prayers offerred at certain times (or “hours”) of each day. The books were hand lettered, decorated, and colored (“illuminated”) by monks. Most of the color is done in ink, but the gold is actual gold leaf. This page comes from a 15th Century Flemmish Book of Hours.
About the Frame:
Unfortunately, it is impossible to choose which side of the page is the one to display, and two-sided display frames are nearly non-existant. This frame is actually two frames back-to-back with a very shallow rabbet for the glass. The frames are held together with rare-earth magnets (a big “thank you” to those who helped me figure out how to attach the magnets). The easel is sized to fit inside the frame to display the piece, and it also acts as a matte for the parchment. Simply lift the frame off the easel and turn it over to view or display the other side of the leaf. The wood is rustic maple, finished with Minwax Antique Oil. The visual opening is 7½” x 9½”.
I apologize for the quality of the pictures. My camera is refusing to focus. Time for a new camera!
-- http://www.north40custom.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.com --
12 comments so far
CharlieM1958
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7638 posts in 1113 days
posted 649 days ago
Very neat idea. Well done!
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
Tomcat1066
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posted 649 days ago
Very cool! I’m a history buff, and I really like how you did this. I really like how you can change sides for display! I wouldn’t be able to pick one above the other, and with this bad boy, you don’t have to!
Well done!
-- "Give me your poor tools, your tired steel, your huddled masses of rust." Yep, I ripped off the Statue of Liberty. That's how I roll!
Tim Pursell
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388 posts in 677 days
posted 649 days ago
Great idea! I’ve been toying with the concept of a two sided frame. Now I have new way of thinking. Thank you very much!
-- http://www.grandprairiewoodworks.com http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6453794
Scott Bryan
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posted 649 days ago
Very nice frames. I tend to like rustic frames. They have a great deal of character and some nice details.
Thanks for the post.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
Thos. Angle
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posted 649 days ago
I like the way you got this one to take. Now we all know how to display something that needs to show both sides. Well done. (I have always liked to look at the hand lettered books)
-- Thos. Angle
rikkor
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posted 649 days ago
That is two great gifts. The illumination looks great, and the frame highlights it. I like the rare earth magnet idea, too.
Tomcat1066
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posted 649 days ago
Just a thought that ran through my mind, but did you perhaps consider staining the wood piece that rests behind the glass? I’d think a dark wood would offset the page nicely.
-- "Give me your poor tools, your tired steel, your huddled masses of rust." Yep, I ripped off the Statue of Liberty. That's how I roll!
Peter O
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1021 posts in 769 days
posted 649 days ago
Hey, guys, thanks for the comments!
Tomcat – I thought about staining the top of the “easel” dark, and almost did. I think it would have been a nice contrast. It’s hard to see it in the lousy photos, but the parchment sits off the easel by the thickness of the glass, which creates a subtle “drop shadow” on the easel. A dark top would have hidden that shadow. Oh, also the fact that I barely got it finished in time for Valentine’s Day and stain would have slowed me down.
-- http://www.north40custom.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.com --
Grumpy
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posted 649 days ago
Great job.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
RonH
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posted 648 days ago
I really liike that. That is so very cool!!
MsDebbieP
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posted 644 days ago
amazing.
the frame and the content. wow.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
darryl
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posted 565 days ago
this is really cool, I’ve never seen anything like it.
-- www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.darrylmasterson.etsy.com