The art of mold making is a natural help for the work of sculptors, but also of foundries, of ceramicists and of marble studios. The work mainly consists of using various available materials (gesso, silicone rubber) to make negatives of forms, classical or modern sculptures, and reproducing them in gesso or other materials. The molds are also the starting point for the work of foundries and ceramicists.
It is easy to understand the care needed to reproduce each detail of the models one is working on. This specialisation dates back to about 800 B.C.; since then, the only evolution has been in the new materials which industry has made available; the methods and their fascination have remained the same. Care, attention and patience are the gifts needed to carry out this difficult and essential work. In the field of restoration, the mold maker’s task is of the essence. We need only remember that the Michelangelo’s Pietà, damaged by a deed of vandalism, could be carried out thanks to a plaster cast made in the past by mold makers who were then able to cast the missing pieces.
In the field of interior decoration, classical and modern ornamental friezes can be reproduced.
The work of mold makers, finally, allows us to set up “gypsotheques”, with copies of the most important classical and modern works.