Composition Mould

MediumCementitious material

DimensionsImpression: 13" (L) x 3/4" (H) x 1/2" (D). Mold: 14 1/2" (L) x 2 5/16" (W) x 1 1/2" (T).

Credit LineGift of Mr. & Mrs. Elias Nassim

Object numberAF-X2023.2545

DescriptionIt is a cementitious mini egg and dart length impression. There are 14 eggs and 14 darts. The egg and darts are 15/16" on center. Each egg is 9/16" (W) x 1/2" (H). The line of egg and darts is set on a tilted base which causes the base of the eggs to protrude higher on the positive of the impression.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.