Papal Blessing From The Vatican

Our client brought in a special "Papal Blessing" that he had obtained from The Vatican to present to his parents on the occasion of their 60th Wedding Anniversary. This document had a picture of the then-current pontiff, Benedict, adhered to the top of the document, with the rest being partially printed and hand calligraphed. We selected a mat and frame that did justice to the document and would be treasured by the recipients.

The frame we used was a Larson Senelar 1 1/4" wide, 23 karat gold leafed Louis XVI frame (#292212) made to 17 1/8" x 21 1/8". The Senelar frames are produced in Europe by a factory that was founded by the Senelar family several hundred years ago and specialized in gold and silver leafing and is now owned by Larson-Juhl. We used the real, 23 karat gold-leafed frame because it will remain shiny forever. Real gold never tarnishes, unlike many gold-colored metal leaf frames that use a brass or bronze-leaf to simulate gold. Those copper-alloy leaves will oxidize and darken over time.

We used Tru-Vue Conservation Clear u/v filtering glass to preserve the colors and matted it with a Bainbridge 4209 Hydrangea Blue Suede with a 4 ply rag board backing. We kept the matting rich but simple since there was, already, a highly decorative border on the document.

We have blurred or erased the names or last name of the recipients to preserve their privacy.

Design and execution by Brian D. Flax, CPF
Images by kind permission of client.

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