Composition Mould
OriginEngland or America
MediumBoxwood; Pine
DimensionsCarving: 6 3/4" (L) x 4 3/16" (W) x 3/16" (D). Boxwood base: 11 1/8" (L) x 6" (W) x 2" (T).
Credit LineGift of Mr. & Mrs. Elias Nassim
Object numberAF-X2023.1125
DescriptionThis is a guilloche of two rounded flutes separated by a full circle and bead and two arrows. The carving also has original incised pencil lines for the design on all sides. The motif is carved into a solid piece of boxwood and backed with a pine board. The outer edges of the flutes have a partial circle, half an arrow, and one has a full bead.Label TextThis antique composition mould represents a trade that was practiced in Virginia during the Revolutionary period and into the 19th century. It depicts a common design found in upper class homes and public buildings. Composition was a substitute for more laboriously produced ornamental plaster and carved wood and stone. It is thought that the Adam brothers (Robert Adam 1728-1792) and John Adam (1721-1792)) played a major role in the initial manufacture of composition ornament on a grand scale. The Adam style demanded a large amount of delicate low-relief ornament. These moulds are for the production of such ornament in plaster, or in composition, usually a combination of whiting, glue, rosin and oil. The finished ornament was used on furniture and other objects as well as in the decoration of rooms.
