An Overview of the History of Matting

Circa 1750  Map of  North  America Hand-colored engraving,  published in London This map was a supplement in Universal Magazine, a popular English publication of the period.  The first half of the eighteenth century was a time of great discovery and change.  The Industrial Revolution began in England - advances in coal mining and coke smelting, new large cotton textile factories and the discovery of steam power.  North America was still divided into colonies of European nations, largely English. English Rococo was at its height from 1745 to 1765 with the designs of Thomas Chippendale and although Rococo styles were popular in America from 1750 to 1780, American framemakers also adapted earlier Dutch-inspired English looking-glass frame designs. The mat is a replica of an English paper mat of the period.  It is unique in its use of an “inwash” - a band of color ( originally watercolor ) around the window opening.  In some examples, such as this, the entire mat is washed with color with a deeper  value of the same color used on the inwash.  The frame replicates a unique American style.  The projecting corner ( also called crossetted or extended ) was a popular architectural treatment in mid-eighteenth century America.  The dark, wood veneer panel with gilt bands echoes seventeenth century Dutch frames and subsequent English adaptations.

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