Door Jamb thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Cast Courts, The Ruddock Family Cast Court, Room 46A

Door Jamb

ca. 1850-1900 (made), ca. 1250 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The original jambs, or door surrounds, are part of the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey. This was built in 1250 as a gathering place for the Benedictine monks who oversaw the running of the abbey and its church. The casts of the ornate jambs may have been made under Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811–78), the important Victorian architect who restored some of the abbey in the mid-19th century.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Painted plaster cast
Brief description
Plaster cast of a jamb, possibly made by Sir George Gilbert Scott in about 1850-1900, depicting the original door jamb from Chapter House of Westminster Abbey. The original was made by an unknown artist in about 1250.
Physical description
Plaster cast of a door jamb depicting the original door jamb from Chapter House of Westminster Abbey.
Dimensions
  • Base, approx. width: 34cm
Production typeCopy
Gallery label
  • 3. Casts of Unknown artist Jambs About 1250 The original jambs, or door surrounds, are part of the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey. This was built in 1250 as a gathering place for the Benedictine monks who oversaw the running of the abbey and its church. The casts of the ornate jambs may have been made under Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811–78), the important Victorian architect who restored some of the abbey in the mid-19th century. Casts Possibly made by Sir George Gilbert Scott About 1850–1900 Painted plaster London Given by the Architectural Association in 1916 Museum nos. Repro.A.1916-277, 278 Originals Stone England The Chapter House, Westminster Abbey, London (doorway)(04/07/2018)
  • Westminster Abbey was mainly constructed during the reign of Henry III, when the jambs for the Chapter House, replete with stiff-leaf foliage was carved. The cast may have been made under Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811-1878), who restored some of the Abbey in the mid-19th century. This cast, like numerous others, was presented to the Museum by the Architectural Association in 1916. Holly Trusted
Credit line
Given by the Architectural Association
Object history
Cast of a door jamb created in plaster in London about 1850-1900 and given by the Architectural Association in 1916. The cast is of the original door jamb from Chapter House of Westminster Abbey which was sculpted by an unknown artist in England about 1250.
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.
Subject depicted
Summary
The original jambs, or door surrounds, are part of the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey. This was built in 1250 as a gathering place for the Benedictine monks who oversaw the running of the abbey and its church. The casts of the ornate jambs may have been made under Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811–78), the important Victorian architect who restored some of the abbey in the mid-19th century.
Collection
Accession number
REPRO.A.1916-277

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 26, 2000
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest