Plaster cast of arcading made in France, 1850–1900, depicting part of the Portal of the Virgin, Notre-Dame Cathedral, that include the martyrdom of St Denis and St Michael’s victory over the devil. The original was made in 1210-20.

Cast of arcading that reproduces part of the Portal of the Virgin, with small panels in relief representing (from the left) Pope Leo III crowning Charlemayne (?), the Fall of the Angels, the Martyrdom of St Denis, St Michael victorious over the dragon, and Mare (the sea), sculpted in France, 1210-20.

Given by the Architectural Association

Cast of arcading created in France, 1850–1900 and given by the Architectural Association in 1916. The cast reproduces part of the Portal of the Virgin, the doorway on the west façade of Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, with small panels in relief representing (from the left) Pope Leo III crowning Charlemayne (?), the Fall of the Angels, the Martyrdom of St Denis, St Michael victorious over the dragon, and Mare (the sea), sculpted in France, 1210-20.

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.

French Gothic architecture was an inspiration to many British architects in the 19th century. This plaster cast reproduces part of the Portal of the Virgin, the doorway on the west façade of Notre-Dame Cathedral. Recessed panels within the niches of the arcading show scenes that include the martyrdom of St Denis and St Michael’s victory over the devil. The cast reproduces missing and worn out areas of the original. You can also see the numbers used to assemble the different parts of the cast.

REPRO.A.1916-3163