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Mold

Decorative Arts and Design

This extraordinary object is an utilitarian mold used by cooks in the nineteenth century to make elaborately shaped foods that would appeal to the eye. In a nineteenth-century kitchen, such molds may have been lined up and displayed as tools of the trade, but they would not have been appreciated or exhibited as works of art. In the twentieth century, however, the collector's selective eye (and sense of humor) has transformed these humble tools into art objects worthy of contemplation.

MAKER W. Cory
MEDIUM Earthenware
DATES 19th century
DIMENSIONS 4 x 5 7/8 x 5 7/8 in. (10.2 x 14.9 x 14.9 cm)  (show scale)
MARKINGS Impressed: "W. Cory / Trenton / N.J."
SIGNATURE no signature
INSCRIPTIONS no inscriptions
ACCESSION NUMBER 79.169.231
CREDIT LINE Bequest of May S. Kelley
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Mold, earthenware, circular shaped with dull yellow color glaze. A grape and leaf motif located at the bottom of ring. The center ring has a swirl pattern and the top ring is fluted. All leaves on bottom ring contain veining patterns. Bordering the outer rim is a scribed line running around the whole mold. Condition: Fine cracking in glaze. Chips in the foot.
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION W. Cory. Mold, 19th century. Earthenware, 4 x 5 7/8 x 5 7/8 in. (10.2 x 14.9 x 14.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of May S. Kelley, 79.169.231. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.79.169.231.jpg)
IMAGE overall, CUR.79.169.231.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2011
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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