Behind her on the wall was an amateurish painting of an old lady, set in an ornate antique frame.

The demand for reproductions has grown in recent years as antique frames have become more expensive.

Lowy will copy any of the 8,000 antique frames in stock or anything a customer brings in.

But a too-perfect mirror in an antique frame can be equally jarring.

They fall into two categories: neatly observed architectural scenes and tiny portraits or parts thereof, set off by antique frames.

He gestured to the walls of a music room, where a dozen paintings hung in antique frames.

Many of them were inspired by his personal collection of antique Italian frames.

Mr. Ward said that 60 of his paintings now wear antique frames.

Jakob Guttmann, the owner, said the concern has antique frames dating from the 15th century.

Gill & Lagodich sells antique and reproduction frames, ranging in price from hundreds to many thousands of dollars.