Maple Finishes

I’m going to be making some picture frames out of some hard maple I got the other day, I want to have a clear finish on them rather than staining some other color. What finish would be best?

I was originally thinking of just rubbing them with linseed oil then letting them dry for a while but am seeing that oil can cause an orange color. I’m looking for something mostly clear and that would give a satin finish, I’ve got some varathane clear coat on hand if that would do the trick as well. Thanks