Frame of Las Meninas
1928. Carved, Ebony veneered / ebony stained, Mortise-and-tenon joint.Room 012
Records show that, in the course of its history, Las Meninas has had four different frames. The 1666 inventory described the original frame as “gilded and carved”. Following the fire at the Alcázar, the painting was given a Calleja frame, with which it entered the museum. In the late 19th century, this was replaced by a Marquina, and finally in 1928 the Cano company was commissioned to produce the current Dutch-style ripple-moulded frame, which cost 2,900 pesetas.
