The former frame on de Keyser Frederick van Velthuysen and his wife, Josina, 1636, acquired 1987, was carved timber (oak) in the manner of French Louis XIV frames. It had been over painted with gold paint leaving no indication of the original surface. The frame appears to have been cut down from a larger format and re-assembled to fit the painting.
The proposal to re-frame the painting was made in 1998.
The profile of the frame, a reverse ogee form, serves to push the picture plane forward.
The frame was made from coachwood (pink sycamore), utilising the joinery of the time and stained to create an ebonised effect.
The painting was fitted in the frame in 2000.