Frame a Hermes Silk Scarf with Museum Glass for Maximum Protection and Clarity

This is definitely another “Instagram-Made-Me-Do-It” project.

So, I was minding my own business one day, checking out a fave Instagram account when I came across this picture below.

Framed Hermes Bolduc Scarf

Photo from Elements of Style: http://www.elementsofstyleblog.com/

 

I immediately recognized that infamous Hermes orange and the iconic brown ribbon Hermes uses to tie all of their wonderful packages.

Hermes Iconic Orange Box and Ribbon

 

I had never seen this particular scarf before and loved it! Leave it to Hermes to come up with such a whimsical, clever design. Later when I had some time, I researched a bit online to find out more about the scarf.

In reading online I learned that the scarf, named Bolduc, was originally produced by Hermes in 1998. Bolduc in French is the decorative ribbon used to wrap gifts. This scarf was designed by Jean-Louis Dumas, a member of the Hermes family and the same artist who designed the Africa scarf I previously shared in this post: Africa Scarf.

Hermes scarves, like everything Hermes makes, are beautifully crafted. A new scarf design takes an average of 18 month and 800 hours of engraving and silk screening to produce! I’m not sure if Hermes has produced Bolduc again in more recent years, but they may have since they do bring a few designs back each year.

Framed Hermes Bolduc Scarf

Photo from Elements of Style: http://www.elementsofstyleblog.com/

 

Later on Pinterest, I stumbled across this photo of the room where the scarf is actually on display. I couldn’t get the photo above out of my head since I’m a big fan of Hermes products and love their handbags, scarves and bracelets. Those magical orange boxes have a tendency to make my heart beat just a little bit faster.

Room with an Hermes Bolduc Scarf Framed

Photo from Elements of Style: http://www.elementsofstyleblog.com/

 

The Bolduc scarf is not currently in production, so it wasn’t available for sale at the Hermes website. I kept my eye out and last May I came across one online and purchased it. It had never been worn and was in pristine condition.

Since purchasing it last year it has been tucked away in its orange box, waiting for me to decide just how I was going to frame it. I knew framing a silk scarf would not be an easy task, so I decided to take it to a professional frame shop in my area.

Beautiful Hermes Bolduc Scarf

 

In looking at framing options, I knew I didn’t want to frame the scarf with a white frame as I had seen in the inspiration photo. Though I loved how it looked in the photo, I wanted to use a frame that wouldn’t create quite as much contrast against the scarf.

Then the choices got really interesting! Have you ever heard of museum glass? I’ve only had one other item professionally framed and that was many years ago. I don’t recall any mention of museum glass back then. Once I saw it, there was no going back.

This was the same “example” the frame shop had on their counter. The difference between the appearance of regular framing glass and museum glass was unbelievable. Regular glass created such a glare/reflection! I had never realized how much glare could change the colors of the object under the glass. The museum glass had virtually no glare and the colors stayed true and beautiful. Once I saw this sample, I knew I had to go with museum glass, which unfortunately increased the framing cost by $100.

Museum Glass by Tru Vue

 

For now I have my scarf hanging on the wall in my dressing room off the master bedroom. It’s right behind my Peloton bike, not the most ideal spot, but I do enjoy seeing it there when I ride or get dressed in that room each day.

Framed Hermes Bolduc Scarf, Museum Glass_wm

 

The frame is looking rather gold in these photos, but in person it’s more of an burnished, antique-silver color that works well with the lettering on the ribbons.

Hermes Bolduc Scarf Framed with Museum Glass

 

I’m very happy with the museum glass. It totally kills any glare from the light overhead, as well as the light coming in from the window that’s to the left in that room.

Hermes Bolduc Scarf , Framed Using Museum Glass for Best Protection

 

I tried to capture a close-up for you so you could see how clear the museum glass looks. It really looks like there’s nothing there, like you could reach out and touch the scarf. I’m pretty much ruined now, not sure I’ll ever be able to have anything framed again without using museum glass. Arggg!

Hermes Bolduc Scarf Framed Under Museum Glass

 

Did you already know about this magical glass? Have you used it to frame anything special? I was surprised to see it can be purchased online for framing, it’s available here: Museum Glass.

Here’s an illustration I found online that shows how it’s designed. Pretty amazing stuff! I wonder if it’s really what museums use–or maybe they use something similar, but even better.

Museum Glass, Best Way to Protect Framed Pieces

 

Hope you found this post helpful for the next time you need to have something professionally framed. Even though it increases the cost, for those really special pieces I think museum glass is definitely worth it.

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Comments

  1. I love this framed….this is my very favorite Hermes scarf…I have it in the pleated version if you have even seen those. They no longer sell them, but you can still have one sent off to Paris and have it done…I have 7 pleated scarves and 4 or 5 of the size you have…they are truly a work of art…

  2. Cyndi Raines says

    Years ago a friend gave me a special piece of silk that she had painted a lovely tree on and I had it framed. She had studied art in Paris. I love it and it is my guest room. I am sure this will bring you joy for years to come.

  3. We had my husbands pen and ink, and colored pencil and wash drawing of our house framed with museum glass as it is in the entry and the door has a lead glass insert that lets in morning light straight from the East. We didn’t want the colors to fade. They haven’t. We had it framed at Artarama in Knoxville. The piece took 3 years off and on to complete and is quite intricate. We certainly didn’t want sun damage. Good investment. Cost an extra $100 to do so.

  4. I love that, Susan! Do you plan to use orange accents in your room like the other photo? It’s really striking. My husband is a professional artist and watercolorist, and we’ve framed all his work under museum glass for years. It’s almost a must for art shows. It is expensive and now you know one reason artists have to ask high prices for their work! It is hard to go back to regular glass, and we never would for original work. Of course, the main reason is it blocks the UV light which helps keep the work from fading over the years. Original work should never be hung where the sun can shine directly on it, even with the UV block glass. You probably know that! So glad your framer had the museum glass. Most of them do now. When we began framing paintings years ago, it was hard to find. Only framers who worked with artists as their clients used it back then.

    • That is so smart, Jane! I’m so glad they mentioned it at the frame shop because I had never heard of it.
      I was wondering about that…if it would still need to be somewhat protected from light. A lot of light comes in through the window in that room during the day. The scarf is hanging on a wall that’s side ways to the window, but it does get a lot of indirect light since so much comes in through that window. I’ve been slightly tilting the shutter louvers to kinda block it a bit. I hate to do that since I love the light coming in, but I was a little worried that it would cause some fading over the years. Guess I better keep tilting those louvers.
      About the color, luckily I already have a chair in that room that has a lot of orange-red floral designs in the fabric. It’s the slipper chair that you see at the dressing table/desk in this older post: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/how-to-repair-a-large-hole-in-sheetrock-or-drywall/

      • Jane Franks says

        Susan, anything exposed to direct sunlight will eventually fade some. Our windows in our home face north, east and west. We have no south facing windows. All of our art is on either north or south walls, except for inside walls, such as hallways. So none of our art is exposed to direct light. North light (coming in through windows facing north) is the coolest and safest. The glass will help retard the light, but if your orange scarf is getting direct sun on it, over time, I think it might fade some. Depending on how valuable this is to you, I would take that into consideration. This is why museums have such controlled lighting and usually no windows in galleries. Especially in museums with very old and classical art. I hope this helps, and isn’t discouraging! It’s just the way things are. Also, you might ask your framer the degree of light the glass he uses can resist fading. I imagine he will say he can’t absolutely guarantee no fading. Improvements to museum glass are being made all the time, but if I had something really valuable, like one of Gene’s paintings, I wouldn’t risk it. One reason we have made a study of this, is that we have produced limited edition prints, and our company in Maine, uses special fade-resistant inks, yet even they are adamant about hanging art away from light. There is a whole industry around this, and it is very important to serious art collectors.

        • Jane Franks says

          One more comment! I noticed you said your scarf received indirect light. If it is not strong south light, you might be okay.

  5. In addition to UV light, the other enemy of special textiles is moisture. A “spacer” between the glass and textile will prevent that. If dampness manages to finagle its way through the frame and glass is smashed down on the textile, it can cause problems.

    • Oh, so that’s why they do that! I remember the framers told me that there would be a spacer between the scarf and the glass. I can tell that it’s not touching the glass. I was wondering why they do that, that makes sense though. Thanks for sharing that, Carol!

  6. Stella Boatman says

    Your Hermes orange scarf is very beautifully framed what are the spacers made from? I only knew of regular glass and non glare glass. Thank you for the information.

  7. Great! If you didn’t request them, your framer knew his his/her stuff!
    Carol N

    • I didn’t request them, didn’t know about them. Yeah, they’ve been in business here a long time. You can see their website here: http://www.frameworksgallery.com/

      • You have chosen a good framer, Susan. Most all professional framers will automatically use spacers between the frame and the piece. That is why mats or double mats are often used with watercolor paintings. We had a horrifying experience once when we first moved to Arkansas. California is a dryer climate, and we often photographed Gene’s art outdoors in natural light. We brought some paintings outside from A/C to photograph and when we brought them back in had rivulets of water on the inside of the glass!! I called our framer! HELP!! He said, don’t worry. It won’t touch the paintings and will evaporate! It did! But we didn’t do that again. After, we just took one out, photo’d it and took it right back inside! It was a good test of the spacer theory, though!

        • Yikes! I would been horrified, probably running in circles trying to figure out what to do. So glad it evaporated! Whew! Thanks for sharing that, though…that’s good to know because something like that could happen if a person were moving and brought out paintings and put them in a hot moving van. Probably best to move them in a different way.
          I remember the discussion about the spacers came up when I was choosing a frame. The frame choices they were giving me were all one that they said were deep enough to accommodate the spacers that they said were needed. Not all frames are deep enough to work with spacers, or at least the size spacers they felt were needed for the scarf. It was an interesting experience…having something professionally framed. Learned some new things for sure!

          • Jane Franks says

            Yes, it was pretty scary, especially as this was our income! But it all turned out well in the end! Oh, yes, do not put framed art in a moving van!! Unless it is climate controlled. Probably some of the movers have this provision. There are separate art movers and shippers. You can google that and if you were moving or shipping expensive or irreplaceable art. I would recommend having them do it. It isn’t cheap, but they know to pack and handle paintings. We didn’t have much framed work when we moved and what we had we brought in the car with us. I did put some photo albums in the moving van, and some of my photos fused together, face to face, it was so hot in there! (We moved in July!). I should have known better, but another lesson learned. The sad thing was some of the photos were of JFK’s funeral procession, I took myself! I was living in Washington, D.C. at the time! Remember the horse drawn caissen with his casket? I think it was the same one they used for Pres. Lincoln. I was sick about it at the time, but oh well, that’s life sometimes. At least it wasn’t wedding photos or something like that!

  8. José-Luiz G. de Montenegro-Magalhães says

    Très très joli résultat votre “Bolduc” ! Moi aussi, il y a quelques années déjà j’ai un carré “Hermès” encadré , c’est le “Sportsmen” , dessin de Phillippe Ledoux que j’ai acheté pour ma femme en 1973. C’est un très bon souvenir et une belle pièce sur le mur de ma salle de séjour ! Merci pour vos articles !!

    • Thanks so much! I just Googled to see the Sportsmen and I love it! What a beautiful gift and lovely that you now have it framed. Truly a treasure!

  9. Beatrice Bryan says

    My mother did this in the 60s with some of her many scarves. One still hangs over a guest bed in the Alpine house we are slowly renovating. I sold her extensive collection (many psychedelic and OpArt) to a vintage dealer. I see them on eBay once in a while…

  10. I have used this glass for years to frame my beautiful needlework creations. with all the hours to create, one should use nothing less on the final finishing touches.

  11. Google is such a wonderful thing–here are more details on spacers. (My info is decades old from my years at UGA, who knew what’s going on now?)

    http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/conservation/reports/displaytextiles.pdf

    Carol N

  12. “I was minding my own business ….” That had me chuckling.

    Susan, this makes for a beautiful display. And I am so happy to see you embracing the color orange. I know it’s not one you are particularly fond of, but it’s one of my favorites because to me, it’s so cheery and sunny. It looks beautiful here, in this scarf.

    I love museum glass. I wish they would put in on computers. It would be nice to be able to use your laptop outside without all the glare!

  13. Hi Susan
    Yes I use museum glass on my cross stitch. And if it has buttons or other dimensions to it they will use spacers.
    It totally cuts down glare.
    Just looks better all in all.

  14. Diana Clark says

    I loved the idea of framing a special scarf. I have one from Russia and never wear it and never thought to frame it!

    I have used Museum glass for years since first seeing it. I go to Hobby Lobby and have mine framed and use a 40% off coupon for the museum glass. Helps with the cost.

  15. I’ve used non-glare glass in a couple of things, but not sure how it compares with museum glass.

  16. In case you didn’t already know, ammonia based glass cleaners like Windex aren’t to be used on museum glass.

  17. A million years ago (OK, it was the late 70’s) I was the manager of a picture framing shop, and gallery. Although we did “museum mount” for “good art” and used acid free liners for mats (now the entire mat can be rag or acid free), I dont recall anything referred to as “museum” glass. We had “regular” (clear and reflective) glass, and “non-glare”, much as you describe and about twice the price. I’m guessing the “museum” part comes with it having UV protection. This may be a new development in the last 40 (yikes!) years. Keep in mind, for future framing, if you ever use multiple mats, the further the non-glare glass is away from your art, the blurrier it will be.

  18. Judy Lincicum says

    Hi Susan, I found out about museum glass about 10 years ago when I was framing my collection of Thomas Kinkaid paintings. It made so much different in the appearance of the light that he was so well known for. He painted light into his paintings and with regular glass, it just ruined the appearance. I agree with you, I’m am absolutely ruined from just framing with regular glass. If a piece is special enough to be framed, who wouldn’t you? Love your scarf! It came out beautifully in that frame, also.

  19. You always bring such good things to our table, Susan. Thank you!

  20. Susan, The framed scarf is a great idea and beautiful! To follow-up, the hair styling tool is the best! I have had friends ask me if I have a new cut- they say something is different & good! Yes, it is! Has made my hair styling so easy. Thanks for the recommendation!

    • Thanks so much! So glad you love it, Kay. I felt the same way after I used it for the first time, couldn’t believe how my hair looked and how easy it was to use! 🙂

  21. I have lots of original paintings in many mediums. I have museum glass on everything in the house that is not in oil. I’m not one for framing myself. I’ve always found that really great quality frames, mats, liners and glass can take art to another level. Everything acid free, too.
    It’s the only way to go. I’ve had mine for years now, and they still look great.
    Your scarf looks reallly nice.

  22. First of all, love the scarf and your choice of frame as feel the latter compliments it. Re the use of museum glass and/or non glare glass and the services of a professional framer IMHO is the only way to go if one is serious about preserving pieces of artwork whereas unlike oil paintings (an exception to the rule) and needlepoint/crewel work (in wool or silk floss) I prefer to have no glass whatsoever as feel overtime it does destroys the fibers BUT to each their own. -Brenda-

  23. Bonnie Gutierrez says

    Hi Susan, I have in the past had my art framed with the non glare glass and that really makes a difference. The last item I had framed was an oil painting and of course didn’t require any glass but I am sure any glass that was used was not called museum – I think Bernie is correct in the assessment of non glare vs museum.

    I think your scarf looks attractive, particularly in the frame that you chose. Many years ago (maybe twenty-five!) I had an aviary scarf from the Colonial Williamsburg collection framed. It was blue on an off white/creme background and I still love it! Isn’t it fun to come upon something in such a serendipitous way!

  24. This time…I did know about museum glass. LUV your framed scarf…the first time I saw this was in West Palm Beach..this gorgeous condo my friends had “rented” for several months…turned out to be Celine Dion’s mother’s place! No wonder she had these absolutely beautiful Hermes scarf’s framed!! franki

  25. Thanks for posting this Susan. I live in Alpharetta and did a search on framing Hermes scarves. Your post came up and I loved your idea. I went to Frameworks this morning and am having them frame two of mine. You were very helpful and yes I ordered the museum glass.

  26. Tina Reynolds says

    Wow! So much important information. Thank you’s to everyone! I have some things that my husband and I inherited which are so meaningful to us that we want to frame them both so we can see them every day and to protect them for the future. I can now speak to framers with a bit more knowledge and authority. The scarf is a tremendous piece! I confess, I loved the photo of it still in the box! So luxurious!

  27. I have been researching framing Hermes scarves and found you. Thank you so much for writing and sharing this.

  28. Susan! This is soooo beautiful and I’m about to get two of my Hermés scarfs framed! Did you steam your scaf to get rid of the folds? Thanks a million in advance! Hugs 🙂

    • Thanks, Cathy! No, the place I took my scarves did everything. They frame so many items like scarves and such, they already have the equipment to steam out wrinkles, etc… If you plan on having it professionally done, just make sure you research and find the best frame shop in your area. You want to make that they know to not flatten down or steam out the hand-rolled hems on your Hermes scarves.

  29. Hi Susan,
    I have my eye on a Hermès scarf to purchase, it’s a 55” square. Any idea what framing costs are if I go to a reputable framer? I just want a simple silver leaf frame, almost like inspiration page.

  30. franki Parde says

    Oh, this brought memory flashback…we rented a vrbo icondo n West Palm Beach…there was thee most exquisite wall hanging…yep, “Hermes scarf”…turns out, the condo, we found out from neighbors, belonged to Celine Dion’s mother…so, you’al have “very exqusite taste!!” franki

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