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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Cast Courts, The Ruddock Family Cast Court, Room 46A

Thirteen voussoirs

Voussoir
ca. 1854 (made), ca. 1280 (made)
Place of origin

Voussoirs are the wedge-shaped stones used to construct an archway. These casts were made from the reliefs of the doorway of the Chapter House of Salisbury Cathedral. The voussoirs there contain small niches showing the story of the battle between the Virtues and the Vices for the human soul. This plaster cast may have been made during restoration work carried out in the Chapter House in 1854.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThirteen voussoirs (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted plaster cast
Brief description
Plaster cast of voussoirs with representations of the Virtues and Vices made in London possibly about 1854. The original was made about 1280.
Physical description
Plaster casts of thirteen voussoirs with small niches showing the story of the battle between the Virtues and Vices for the human soul.
Dimensions
  • Arch height: 328cm
  • Width: 445cm
Production typeCopy
Gallery label
  • Cast of Unknown artist Voussoirs with Representations of the Virtues and Vices About 1280 Voussoirs are the wedge-shaped stones used to construct an archway. These casts were made from the reliefs of the doorway of the Chapter House of Salisbury Cathedral. The voussoirs there contain small niches showing the story of the battle between the Virtues and the Vices for the human soul. This plaster cast may have been made during restoration work carried out in the Chapter House in 1854. Cast Possibly about 1854 Painted plaster London Given by the Architectural Association in 1916 Museum no. Repro.A.1916-506 Original Limestone Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire(21/06/2018)
  • The chapter-house of Salisbury Cathedral dates from the late 13th century, during the reign of Edward I. These wedge-shaped reliefs or voussoirs from the arch of the doorway contain fourteen small niches with subjects illustrating the Battle of the Virtues against the Vices. This plaster cast may have been made at the time of restoration work in the chapter-house in 1854. Holly Trusted
Credit line
Given by the Architectural Association
Object history
Copy of thirteen voussoirs with representations of the Virtues and Vices made in plaster in London possibly about 1854 and given by the Architectural Association in 1916. The originals were made in limestone about 1280 and are from Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire.
Historical context
Making plaster copies is a centuries-old tradition that reached the height of its popularity during the 19th century. The V&A's casts are of large-scale architectural and sculptural works as well as small scale, jewelled book covers and ivory plaques, these last known as fictile ivories.

The Museum commissioned casts directly from makers and acquired others in exchange. Oronzio Lelli, of Florence was a key overseas supplier while, in London, Giovanni Franchi and Domenico Brucciani upheld a strong Italian tradition as highly-skilled mould-makers, or formatori.

Some casts are highly accurate depictions of original works, whilst others are more selective, replicating the outer surface of the original work, rather than its whole structure. Like a photograph, they record the moment the cast was taken: alterations, repairs and the wear and tear of age are all reproduced in the copies. The plasters can also be re-worked, so that their appearance differs slightly from the original from which they were taken.

To make a plaster cast, a negative mould has to be taken of the original object. The initial mould could be made from one of several ways. A flexible mould could be made by mixing wax with gutta-percha, a rubbery latex product taken from tropical trees. These two substances formed a mould that had a slightly elastic quality, so that it could easily be removed from the original object. Moulds were also made from gelatine, plaster or clay, and could then be used to create a plaster mould to use for casting.
When mixed with water, plaster can be poured into a prepared mould, allowed to set, and can be removed to produce a finished solid form. The moulds are coated with a separating or paring agent to prevent the newly poured plaster sticking to them. The smooth liquid state and slight expansion while setting allowed the quick drying plaster to infill even the most intricate contours of a mould.
Flatter, smaller objects in low relief usually require only one mould to cast the object. For more complex objects, with a raised surface, the mould would have to be made from a number of sections, known as piece-moulds. These pieces are held together in the so-called mother-mould, in order to create a mould of the whole object. Once the object has been cast from this mother-mould, the piece-moulds can be easily removed one by one, to create a cast of the three-dimensional object.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Voussoirs are the wedge-shaped stones used to construct an archway. These casts were made from the reliefs of the doorway of the Chapter House of Salisbury Cathedral. The voussoirs there contain small niches showing the story of the battle between the Virtues and the Vices for the human soul. This plaster cast may have been made during restoration work carried out in the Chapter House in 1854.
Collection
Accession number
REPRO.A.1916-506

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Record createdOctober 2, 2006
Record URL
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