Depictions of architecture, cabinetry, furniture and other things made of wood are always possible cues for the frame. Such constructions are themselves, after all, essentially frames of one kind or another. A wooden ladder is another kind of frame. So when we received this very sweet little (just 13-1/4″ x 3″) woodblock print, titled “Hen and Rooster” (1915), by the wonderful shin hanga master Gesso Yoshimoto (1881-1936) the idea came to me for a frame that would play off the ladder. The construction of the ladder is identical to a mortise and tenon frame, and in this case, the tall, narrow proportions of the print lent themselves to the treatment as well.
The frame is walnut finished with black-tinted beeswax, the wood and finish harmonizing perfectly with the tones in Yoshimoto’s print. Trevor made the frame with flush through tenons visible on the sides for a subtle, pleasing detail. The ends of the stiles and the tops and bottoms of the rails (the rungs of the ladder) are cut at angles to echo the chickens’ ladder.
One thing that makes this print so charming is how it elevates a scene we too often ignore or dismiss as mundane. The old pejorative was “worldly.” Here, the worldly and ordinary are recognized for their significance and beauty.
This is the essential power of the frame, as a threshold that connects two realms, demonstrating the efficacy, in tangible, present reality, of the imaginary, the illusory, the remembered image. The real presence of the frame completes the picture’s mission to re-present—that is, make present again—what is not, or is no longer, present.
As proof and testimony to a picture’s efficacy in its present setting, the frame honors and elevates the picture. And for elevating things, whether a rooster or a work of art, a ladder can come in handy!
By the way, this print came from our friends at the superb Ronin Gallery in New York City.
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