Composition Mould

MediumResin; Wood

DimensionsImpression: 15 1/4" (L) x 1 7/8" (W). Base: 17 5/8" (L) x 3 1/2" (W) x 1 7/8" (T). The number "1107" is painted on both ends (one black and one tan).

Credit LineGift of Mr. & Mrs. Elias Nassim

Object numberAF-X2023.3491

DescriptionIt is a double arch and diamond guilloche length of resin set in a solid member wooden base with wood plugs at each end of the resin inset. There are two sets of mirrored arches with a diamond separating the arches. The arches are set at 3 17/32" on center and they are 1 1/4" (H) and the outer arch measures 6/32" (thickness in width). The diamonds between the arches are 7/8" (H) x 3/4" (W). At one end of the impression is a portion of a diamond and at the other end has the entwined ends of the outermost arch.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.