Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Item Frames and Paintings in Minecraft
Item frames (8 sticks around leather) hang on walls and show any item; rotate the item by clicking, and a comparator reads the rotation, which makes frame-based combination locks. Glow item frames add a glow ink sac and stay bright in the dark. Paintings (8 sticks around wool) pick a random picture that fits the wall space; there are 47 in all.
How do item frames work?
- Place on the side of most blocks, then use an item on it to display it; click again to rotate it in 45-degree steps (90 for maps).
- A map in a frame fills the block and shows the frame's position as a green marker; frames side by side make map walls; see maps.
- Renamed items show their name when you look at them.
- A comparator behind the frame gives a signal that changes with the item's rotation; see comparators.
- End ships have an item frame holding elytra; see elytra.
What is a glow item frame?
An item frame crafted with a glow ink sac. It and its item look fully lit even in darkness, which is ideal for labels in dark storage rooms. Glow ink comes from glow squid; see glow squid.
How do paintings work?
Place one on a wall and the game picks a random painting that fits the space, from 1×1 up to 4×4. To choose, mark out exactly the space you want with blocks first. Java's creative inventory also has preset paintings with a chosen picture. Players and mobs can walk through paintings, so they make secret doors, though mobs can find them too. There are 47 paintings: 40 by Kristoffer Zetterstrand, 6 by Sarah Boeving and 1 by Jens Bergensten.
How do you take them down?
Hit them, break the block behind, or shoot them with a projectile. On Java, item frames are entities, so anyone can punch them, even in Adventure mode; /kill @e[type=item_frame] removes them all. See /kill.
Can you show off items on ArtemisPvP?
Frequently asked questions
How do you choose which painting appears?
Block off exactly the wall space you want; the game picks a painting that fits.
How do you make a glow item frame?
Craft an item frame with a glow ink sac.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.