Composition Mould

MediumWood; Shellac

DimensionsBoard = 36" (L) x 11 3/4" (W) x 15/16" (T). Larger scroll = 9 1/4" (OD) x 4" (OD) inner rosette. Smaller scroll = 8 5/8" (OD) x 3 3/4" (OD) for the inner rosette. Six petal rosette = 1 3/4" (OD). Five petal rosette = 2" (OD).

Credit LineGift of Mr. & Mrs. Elias Nassim

Object numberAF-X2023.3091

DescriptionIt is a very large vine and flower scroll carved out of a single board with two large circular scrolls and two small ones at one end and a beaded vine end at the opposite end. Large scrolls have deeply carved four petal lilies in the centers. The small scrolls have shallow carved rosette in one and five petal blossom in the other. Between the large scrolls is a vine end with beads (14) and opposite a five petal rosette with a vine with five beads. At the opposite end, there is a six petal rosette. The small scroll end has two large cracks through the board. There is evidence of a frame around the board. The entire carved face has been shellacked.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.