Brush calligraphy is often on paper so thin that it wrinkles when it is handled. We frame calligraphy, ink painting, hanging scrolls and illuminated pages with gentle support and UV glazing.
We frame East Asian brush calligraphy and ink painting on thin paper or silk, hanging scrolls, Persian and Arabic calligraphy, and illuminated pages, which are handwritten pages decorated with colour and gold. These works share two features. The paper or silk is thin and wrinkles when it is handled, and the ink and colours fade in light. The work is done at 1242 Davie Street.
Thin paper needs gentle support
Brush calligraphy is often written on paper that is thinner than printer paper and soft to the touch. There are two ways to hold a sheet like this in a frame, and both can be undone.
Hinged behind a mat. Small tabs of thin paper hold the top edge of the sheet to an acid-free backing board, and the rest hangs free. A mat, a border of card with an opening, lies over the edges and keeps the glazing off the ink. Glazing means the sheet of glass or acrylic at the front of the frame.
Floated. The whole sheet shows, edges included, on top of the backing board with the hinges hidden behind it. This suits a sheet with a seal or writing close to the edge. Our float mounting page explains the method.
Dry mounting bonds a sheet to a board with heat and adhesive. It makes thin paper flat and it is permanent, so we advise against it for original calligraphy. Some thin works were given a paper backing by a scroll mounter when they were made, and some were left without one. If your sheet has no backing and is deeply creased, ask us at the counter what can be done before you decide on a frame.
Paint and gold on paper need glazing that stays off the surface. Celestial Garden is an oil and gold on paper, 40 by 30 cm, with an ornament of gold and coloured curls on pale yellow paper, and a mat would hold the glazing clear of it.
A hanging scroll is a painting or a text mounted on a long strip of paper and silk, with a rod at the top and a roller at the bottom. You have two choices.
Frame it whole. The scroll hangs open inside a deep frame with its rod and roller, held at the top rod and steadied at the roller. The frame is tall and narrow, and the box is as deep as the roller is thick.
Leave it as a scroll. A scroll was made to hang for a time and then be rolled and stored. Kept that way, it needs no frame.
Cutting the painting out of its silk mount is permanent. We suggest framing the scroll whole or leaving it as it is.
Persian and Arabic calligraphy and illuminated pages
These are usually on thicker paper, often with painted borders and gold. Gold and thick colour stand up from the surface, so the glazing must stay clear of them. A mat, or a spacer (a thin strip hidden under the edge of the frame), holds it away. A wide mat makes a small page easier to see on a large wall. A page with writing on both sides shows one side in a frame, so choose the side before you come. If you know which edge is the top, tell us, so the page is framed the right way up.
Muraqqa': The Gold Shamseh is a page of this type from our gallery: an oil and gold on paper, 30 by 40 cm, with panels of script and flowers inside a blue border. Gold and thick colour stand up from a page like this, so the glazing is held away.
Coloured inks, red seals, the dyes in silk and painted borders all fade in daylight. We recommend UV glazing, which filters ultraviolet light, the part of daylight that causes the most fading, and a wall away from direct sun. The mat and the backing are acid-free, made so they stay free of the acid that browns paper. Our guide to framing works on paper covers the general rules.
What changes the cost
The outer size, the width of the mat, the glazing and the moulding, the shaped length of wood or metal the frame is cut from. A scroll framed whole needs a tall, deep frame, so it costs more than a single sheet. You get the quote at the counter when we have seen the work.
What to bring or send
Bring a loose sheet flat in a folder, or rolled loosely if it arrived rolled. Bring a scroll rolled in its box. If you live outside Vancouver, send the height and width, a note of whether it is paper or silk, and a photograph. Papyrus and painted cloth bought on a trip are covered under souvenir art framing, and other drawings and paintings on paper under watercolour, pastel and drawing framing.
Walk in at 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. Enter your email on this page for a 10% framing code to show at the shop, and see custom framing for everything else we frame.
How it works
1
Bring it in, or send photographs
Walk in to 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. If you are not in Vancouver, send the dimensions and a photograph and we will work from that.
2
We look at the actual piece
What it is made of, what condition it is in, and where it is going to hang all change the answer. You get a straight recommendation and a price for your piece, not a rate card.
3
It is made by hand and fitted
Cut to the piece, using conservation materials, and finished with hanging hardware rated for the actual weight.
Common questions
Can calligraphy on thin rice paper be framed without glue?
Yes, calligraphy on thin rice paper can be framed with no glue across the sheet. Small tabs of thin paper hold its top edge to acid-free board and the rest hangs free, behind a mat that keeps the glazing off the ink. The sheet can be taken out later. Soft ripples in paper this thin are normal and stay visible.
Should a hanging scroll be framed or left as a scroll?
A hanging scroll can be framed whole or left as a scroll, and both are sound choices. Framed, it hangs open in a deep, tall frame behind glazing that keeps dust off and filters light. Left as a scroll, it is hung for part of the year and stored rolled in its box. Cutting the painting from its mount is permanent, so we advise against it.
Why is my brush painting wrinkled, and can framing flatten it?
A brush painting wrinkles because its paper is thin and swells where wet ink touched it. Hinging the sheet in a frame lets it hang under its own weight, which lessens soft ripples and leaves deeper creases visible. A scroll mounter flattens thin paper by adding a paper backing with paste. Ask us at the counter what can be done for your sheet.
How deep is a frame for a whole hanging scroll?
A frame for a whole hanging scroll is as deep as the roller at the bottom of the scroll is thick, plus a gap in front. The roller is the thickest part. The frame is also as tall as the open scroll with its rod and roller, so it is a tall, narrow frame. Acrylic glazing keeps it lighter than glass of the same size.
Does calligraphy ink fade in a frame?
Calligraphy ink fades more slowly in a frame with UV glazing, on a wall away from direct sun. Coloured inks, red seals and painted borders fade in daylight, and the dyes in a silk mount fade too. Acid-free board behind the sheet keeps the paper from turning brown. A shaded wall adds to the protection the glazing gives.
How is an illuminated page with gold framed?
An illuminated page with gold is framed behind a mat or a spacer that holds the glazing away from the surface, because gold and thick colour stand up from the paper. The page is hinged at its top edge to acid-free board, with no glue on the painted area. A wide mat and UV glazing suit a small page of this kind.
Can a calligraphy sheet be framed so its uneven edges show?
Yes, a calligraphy sheet can be framed so its uneven edges show. The sheet is floated: it lies on top of the backing board with its hinges hidden behind it, and the mat or the frame stands back from its edges. A spacer keeps the glazing off the paper. This suits a sheet with a seal or writing near the edge.
10% off your custom framing when you show this code at our shop
We frame, stretch canvas and reframe by hand, in our own workshop inside the gallery at
1242 Davie Street. Enter your email and your code appears right here. Show it at the
counter and we take 10% off the job. The code does not expire.
Send the measurements, what it is made of, and a photograph. We will tell you what it actually needs, including when the answer is that it needs less than you expected.
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Exceptional Service and a Truly Memorable Art Purchase
I had a wonderful experience with Van Art Hub Gallery. I came across two pieces by Melina Ghaemi — *Mad Mirrors* and *Small World in the Hands of a Stranger* — and immediately fell in love with them.
I contacted Van Art Hub Gallery, and they were incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, from arranging the payment to organizing the shipping. At first, I was a little skeptical and nervous about how everything would work, especially since the paintings were still in Iran and it was shortly after the war. But the gallery handled everything with such professionalism and care that my concerns quickly disappeared. Amazingly, they were able to get the paintings to Canada in just two days!
The pieces are absolutely captivating. Even when I picked them up from the frame maker and was simply carrying them to my car, several people stopped and asked me about the paintings. That says a lot about how striking and special Melina Ghaemi’s work is.
A big thank you to Van Art Hub Gallery for making this experience so smooth and enjoyable. I truly appreciated their professionalism, communication, honesty, and integrity throughout the entire process. I would happily work with them again and highly recommend them to anyone interested in purchasing art through the gallery.
I got my order today and your work is really good. I didn’t expect to get a certificate for this painting, it was a surprise. Thanks for caring about small details.
The support team was really helpful and followed up nicely, wich I really appreciated. The painting is just like the photo – great quality and very detalied. I just wish it arrived a bit sooner, but honestly it was worth the wait.
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