|
Introduction
"For they [the image makers] use a mold; and whatsoever clay they put into it comes out in shape like the mold"
- Dio Chrysostom. (Greece A.D. c. 40-115)
Using molds to create statuary, beads, decorative items and votive images has spanned many cultures and periods in history. Molds provide sculptors and artisans with an easy way to make a nearly perfect duplicate of an original. It also enables a large number of reproductions to be made with relative ease.
Mold Making, Techniques, and History
In almost every culture that has advanced ceramic and firing techniques, you will find molds. Used for everything from miniatures to life sized pieces, decorative items, burial objects, beads and bangles.1 "As with all clay techniques, it is what is made with the technique that counts, for the technique itself is nothing without the ideas and the creativity of the artist.2 The molds themselves were made of damp clay, most commonly terra-cotta. The easiest type of mold to make is the 1 part mold.3 An original is made, then fired.4 The original is then used to make a mold either by stamping the positive into the clay, better with smaller objects like beads; or by draping a sheet of clay over the original and letting it dry until it will hold the originals shape, better for larger objects like bowls. With the latter method you will have to remove the clay from the original before it dries too much or it will crack.5 A third way to create a mold is to "carve a convex image into stiff clay6 then fire it. This eliminates the need to carve an original, but it is more difficult. The resulting mold will produce a raised relief when the clay is pressed into it. "The theory was the same, but the application of the negative was performed in a different manner."7 Two examples of 1 part molds can be seen in Figures 1 and 2 The first figure is of a Greek goddess. Only the head is press molded and the body is a flat slab. (Dated 555 B.C.). Figure 2 is a half round figure of a Bodhisattva. (India, late 3rd to 5th century). The next development in mold making was the 2 part mold, where the front and the back of the figure being reproduced are molded separately, and then joined. Finally multi-part molds came into use, and with that advance comes the ability to cast any figure in nearly any pose, provided enough molds are used.8 Molds were also used to form parts of sculpture and decorative motifs that were applied to more complex pieces. This technique can be seen in figure 3. (Mayan Warrior. 7th to 10th centuries)
|
|
