Composition Mould

MediumBoxwood; Wood

DimensionsCarving: 10 1/4" (L) x 4" (H) x 7/16" (D). Inset: 11" (L) x 4 3/8" (H) x approximately 3/4" (D). Base: 15 5/8" (L) x 8 1/4" (W) x 2" (D).

Credit LineGift of Mr. & Mrs. Elias Nassim

Object numberAF-X2023.3498

DescriptionIt is a large ionic capital with an egg and dart length and a bead and reel length/string carved into boxwood. The boxwood is inset in a wooden base. There is a large crack running horizontally through the wooden base and the carving. There is a single egg and two darts at the center with an acanthus leaf on each side of the egg. There are five beads and four reels. The scroll diameter is 3 1/2" (W) and approximately 4" (H).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.