Coming from highly decorative techniques discovered and used in Antwerp in the mid-17th century for portrait frames, ebony ripple moldings were created to give a flicker of light, between the edge of a painting and its surround. They were first developed in the late 16th century, probably in south German cabinetmaking workshops. They were produced on a special milling machine by running straight-profiled strips of wood through shaped metal cutters mounted over a long, waved-shaped master template. Repeated movements of this jig cut successively deeper into the wood until a continuous undulating surface was achieved.