Matte

Flat, non-glossy; having a dull surface appearance.<br><br>Flat, nonglossy; having a dull surface appearance. Variant spelling - matt.<br><br>A decorative border placed around a picture, often under glass, also called matboard. It serves as a frame or provides contrast between the picture and the frame. Or, to put a mat around a picture. Also, a thin, flat sheet of glass fiber material used to reinforce laminating resin, hollow cast ciment fondu, and modeled concrete sculpture. Surface mat is quite fine, chopped strand mat is coarse, loosely woven fabric. Also, having a dull, flat, non-reflective, sometimes roughly textured finish, perhaps of paint, metal, paper or glass; the opposite of glossy.Example: Unidentified photographer (American?), Woman looking at framed tintype portraits, c. 1870, tintype with decorative paper mat, 12.4 x 7.7 cm, George Eastman House, Rochester, NY.Also see edge, matting tools, mount, polyurethane, preparator, semi-matt, semi-gloss, and water gilding.