Silvia Trevisanello

Frame maker

©Cornici Trevisanello

©Giuliano Nardin

Excellence in a picture frame

At university Silvia studied the restoration of stone works
Her father opened the picture frame workshop in 1959
Each one of her frames is different

Silvia Trevisanello’s workbench faces one of the most beautiful and picturesque canals in Venice. Her workshop is flooded with light. “I am well aware of how privileged I am to be able to sit here every day and dedicate myself to a trade that enables me to express myself,” she says. Silvia grew up in this very workshop, which her father set up in 1959 in the heart of a quarter that has always been favoured by artists travelling to Venice. The Gallerie dell’Accademia is just a few metres away, as well as other museums and the city’s art school. “My father specialised in the creation of frames for works of art, a tradition that my brother Pietro carries on today.” Silvia is in charge of the more creative side of the business, producing carved and gilded frames decorated with pearls or glass rods.

Interview

©Katarina Rothfjell

©Giuliano Nardin

Who taught you your trade?: The artisans working in my father’s workshop, who were in charge of decoration. The scent of wood and glue has accompanied me ever since I was a girl, even though I studied restoration of stone works at university. Unfortunately there wasn’t a course dedicated to the restoration of wood.
What made you decide to change direction?: Working with stone is very demanding, and I understood that the material was not suited to me. I started messing about in my father’s workshop, and I was lucky enough to be able to experiment with what I was interested in. The freedom my father gave me was fundamental in determining my path.
When did you start creating your frames?: In the beginning I used to engrave and gild them with a very ancient technique, which consists of covering the surface with layers of plaster. One day, I found some old Murano glass pearls and I thought I could use them to decorate a frame. That’s how it all started.
What has been the key to your success?: My relationship with a number of clients who believed in me from the very beginning. Unfortunately, working in Venice is becoming more difficult, and an increasing number of master artisans are forced out of business. Mass tourism and the invasion of pseudo-artisanal objects is killing our workshops.

Silvia Trevisanello is an expert artisan she began her career in 1990