This is sometimes an obvious point but not always relevant or required. It can be summed up as old pictures should be framed to look old and modern pictures should use a modern style. We have knowledge of the various framing styles and decorative methods used so we can advise and use the most appropriate for the era concerned.

If you have an old master, or copy, then an ornate carved gilt frame is fine, probably not so good around a Damien Hurst, but then you never know. A Victorian etching may call for an ivory mount with hand drawn wash lines and mahogany style frame, a sixties poster a polished chrome frame.

There are also frames, usually simple wood, gold and silver that can take on the character of the art work and are equally suitable on a Monet or Vettriano. There are also artists whose work will happily accommodate traditional or contemporary treatment, and where the framing can dictate how the picture is viewed.