Framed antique prints have a unique appeal that combines historical significance, artistic beauty, and decorative versatility. They work in both traditional and contemporary settings and offer a tangible link to the past—whether pressed botanicals from Victorian expeditions, architectural drawings of grand estates, or maps showing how our ancestors viewed the world. At Julia Boston Antiques in London, Eric Faveri creates replica frames that perfectly complement those prints, completing the illusion of something unchanged since its creation.

The traditional craft of picture frame making represents one of the most demanding and time-honored artisan skills, requiring years to master, and the process Faveri uses today follows techniques virtually unchanged since the Renaissance.

A French ballet dancer whose career was cut short by an accident, Faveri arrived in the UK in the late ‘80s and met Julia Boston at a party. “Julia has a wonderful eye,” says Faveri, “and she’s an expert in engravings from the 18th, 17th, and even the 16th century. She spoke French very well and knew I was looking for work, so she asked, ‘Do you want to come work with me and do framing?’ I told her I’d never done framing in my life and she said, ‘I’m going to teach you.’” Thus began Faveri’s brief apprenticeship in framing done the historic way with rabbit skin glue, gesso, clay, and water gilding.

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WRITTEN BY EDWARD MCCANN

This story appeared in the Fall 2025 issue of MILIEU.