Fine Art Reproductions, Commissions and Professional Framing
Mary Ann, Wife of Leonard Collman by Alfred Stevens
Our clients often come back to us for more great paintings. A long cherished client approached us for a copy of this painting, shown on the right, by illustrious 19th century artist Alfred Stevens, entitled "Mary Ann, Wife of Leonard Collman". Stevens was renowned for his paintings of elegant modern women and this painting fully shows his superb technique and his ability to capture inner beauty.
Unfortunately we did not have a copy of this painting in our large database of images, and a good source copy proved difficult to come by. Luckily our client had a book with a very good colour plate in it. Although it was a small source copy to work from we were confident that, with extra effort from our artist, and patience from our client, we would eventually produce a great reproduction of this captivating painting of this enigmatic subject.
The reproduction process
Before beginning, the commission manager will ensure that customer requirements can be delivered. The painting size and the aspect ratio need to be considered, especially if the size is different from the original size, along with any specific requirements regarding fine detail, facial expression, colours, etc. This essential process ensures that quality is always maintained and not compromised by timescales.
After preparing the blank canvas, like many masters before them, our artist begins with a simple sketch of the basic composition in pencil or charcoal. Once the artist is happy with the basic composition, they will begin to apply the first layers of colour with paint. This is the first of potentially many colour layers, usually consisting of basic shapes and background.
The real work of the artist now begins, carefully building forms out of layers of colour, creating depth and texture, balancing the colour palette and applying their expertise to hue, tone, light and dark; the artist brings the painting to life. This stage can take many days as the layers need to be stable before over painting.
The artist now uses their finest skills to add detail, brillance and character, in order to recreate the vision of the original master. They will often emulate the master's techniques to get as close as they can to capturing the magnificent expression of the original.
You then get your chance to review images of the painting that we will send to you. The commission manager will take any comments you have into account in making further finishing touches to the painting. In this case, our client wished us to age the painting and apply very fine surface changes to make the painting as authentic to the original as possible.
Once you are delighted with your painting we can stretch and frame it for you.
Through our sister business, Brampton Framing, the range of frames we offer is the most comprehensive in the UK. You can choose from over 2500 mouldings, a huge choice of ready made swept picture frames and a specialist range of period reproduction ornate picture frames, available in both standard and bespoke sizes.The right picture frame makes a huge difference; your eye should be drawn to your artwork not the frame. Our vast choice of picture frames and expertise means we can help you to choose the perfect picture frame first time. Via our own in house picture framing workshop we offer professional bespoke picture frames to fit your budget and a framing service up to museum standards. All of our framers are Fine Art Trade Guild commended picture frames so you can rely on our professionalism and reputation.
In this case, our client wanted us to build a beautiful bespoke frame finished in 23.5 carat gold leaf, to match an existing frame. We were delighted to be able to fully satisfy all of our clients' needs and deliver the magnificent framed painting below.
