Composition Mould

MediumBoxwood; Pine

DimensionsCarving: 12 3/8" (L) x 7/8" (W) x 3/8" (D). Insert: 13 3/16" (L) x 1 3/8" (W) x 7/8" (T). Base: 17 1/2" (L) x 2 1/4" (W)1 1/8" (T).

Credit LineGift of Mr. & Mrs. Elias Nassim

Object numberAF-X2023.2709

DescriptionThis is a boxwood carving of egg and dart motif set into a multi-part wooden base (one wood piece is missing along the length of one side). There are nine eggs and nine darts. The eggs and darts are 1 3/8" on center. The eggs are 7/8" (W) x 7/8" (H) x 3/8" (D). The darts are 7/8" (L) x 9/16" (W) at the tip x 3/8" (D).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.