Composition Mould

MediumResin; Wood

DimensionsImpression: 5 1/2" (H) x 3 3/8" (W) x 1/2" (D) at the center rib. Inset: 6 5/8" (H) x 4 3/8" (W) x 3/4" (D). Base: 10 1/4" (L) x 7 5/8" (W) x 2 5/8" (T).

Credit LineGift of Mr. & Mrs. Elias Nassim

Object numberAF-X2023.2482

DescriptionIt is a resin impression of a small, lidded urn with large scroll handles. It has 13 ribs on the base, and each is topped with a bead and sitting on a plain pedestal. The lid has an extended neck topped with a convex finial topped with a bead. At each side of the neck is a large, scrolled handle extending down to the top of the pedestal. The resin is inset in a multi-part wooden base.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.