CARVED WOOD HORSE FORM, POSSIBLY USED AS A MOLD MASTER FOR PAPIER-MÂCHÉ PRODUCTION
Probably French, mid-to-late 19th century

22 3/4" H x 6 7/8" D x 20 7/8" W

A carved hardwood model of a horse, the form simplified in contour with braided mane and upright ears, retaining traces of a gesso-like surface coating over the original wood. The residue suggests use as a moule de forme, or master mold, employed in the creation of papier-mâché horses and other decorative figures in 19th-century French workshops. The surface shows age fissures and remnants of applied sealing layers used to prevent adhesion of pulp during the molding process.

Condition: Extreme wear and variation to the surface with the remnants of old papier-mâché gesso and glue flaking from the hardwood. Cracks and loss throughout. Open but stable vertical seam in the torso where the two parts of the log come together. Feet with notable losses. Stable and ready to place.

ref. 510YCQ31P