Ketubah with Special Custom Mat in Custom Frame

While we always try our best to design and create the most attractive framing treatments for what our clients bring us, it is especially fun when we create something for our closest of friends. Such is the case, here, when a couple who we have known forever asked us to frame the ketubah (jewish marriage contract) that was created for the wedding we attended in September. We have known the bride since she was born and knew how much this document meant to her, so we set out to create something really special. This is the result:


The shape of the opening is a cross between a heart and a "dreidel" (a spinning top used in a Channukah game).  The shape of the composition, initially, made us think of using a circular opening. However, while the hand written Hebrew copy is round, the floral border that surrounds it is, actually, not. We experimented with cicles, rectangles, inverted triangles and, finally, decided to merge a number of different shapes together to create this hybrid opening. The matting has a linen top layer called "Edelweiss" and the bottom layer, that gives the opening a crisp edge, is a Crescent 9531 "Spinach" Green, which works with the vine and leaves in the illustration.
Ketubah mat detail #1-upper right


Ketubah Mat Detail #2- Upper Left

Ketubah Mat Detail #3-Bottom Vertex

The mats were cut using a Wizard 9000Z computerized mat cutter. Without this CMC, it would be very difficult to create such a mat.

The frame was built from wood that was custom milled by Vermont Hardwoods. They milled the frame from Quarter-Sawn White Oak, which has a gorgeous grain to it when milled that way. To that they added a Mission Brown stain. The married couple are deeply involved in horticulture and agricultural activities and we felt that this would embody the things in their lives that mean the most to them.


Quarter-Sawn Oak frame detail #1


Quarter Sawn Oak Frame Detail #2

The only other component that is not immediately obvious is the glazing material. We opted to use plexiglass instead of glass, as it would weigh a lot less and be less likely to slice up the ketubah if the glass were to break. This plexiglass is called OP3, as it has a built-in u/v filter that will filter out 99% of ultra violet light. U/V light is what tends to fade all works of art and printed things on paper. We wanted this ketubah to last a lifetime and, we hope, it will.

---Photos and Framing Design by Brian Flax, CPF
--Mat Design and Cutting by Brian Flax, CPF and Dana Fisher, MCPF