248 Art of moulding Curving in Wood. 



He would undertake only the plain work, and referred me 

 for the execution of the carving to Toulouse or Bourdeaux. 

 I was sensible how difficult it would be to get the carving 

 of the different pieces executed at a distance, and particu- 

 larly within the required time ; and how expensive it would 

 be to transport such a case, which might also be damaged 

 by the way. I told him that I \\ould myself undertake the 

 carving of the laurel and oak foliage which I had placed in 

 the plan, provided he would vuulertake the remaining part. 

 Fearing, however, that my car\ing would not correspond to 

 his work, and might tend to degrade it, he was unwilling 

 to undertake any thing till I ha(r shown him a specimen of 

 my labour — a proposal to which I consented. 



I was well aware that very hard wood, such as box, might 

 be moulded by putting it under a press in copper moulds, 

 after having subjected it to certain preparations : but for this 

 purpose very expensive moulds, an excellent press, &c. are 

 required, which occasions considerable expense, and by this 

 method bas-reliefs only can be executed. But the art' I am 

 about to describe requires only cheap materials with very 

 little practice, and affords the means of making not only 

 figures in relief, but even the most ditlicult objects of sculp- 

 ture. 



In the town where I resided I found one of those Italians 

 who employ themi;elves in moulding plaster figures. I 

 caused him to make such moulds as I had occasion for, 

 and which were copies from the best masters. I succeeded 

 perfectly in moulding m\' garlands in walnut-tree \^ ood ; 

 and I showed them to my cabinet-maker, who took me for 

 an able sculptor. He constructed the case, applied to it 

 the foliage 1 had made, and neither he nor any person who 

 saw it had the least suspicion of the method I had emploved. 

 All believed that the ornaments had proceeded from the 

 chisel of an able carver. Since that time I have moulded 

 for my friends bas-reliels, trophies, &e. with wood of every 

 kind, 1 shall now describe my 



Process. 

 I made very clear glue with five parts of Flanders glue 

 and one part of fish glue or isinglass. I dissolved these two 

 kinds of glue separately in a large quantity of water, and 

 mixed them together after they had been strained through 

 a piece of fine linen to separate the filth and heterogeneous 

 parts which could not be dissolved. The quantitv of water 

 cannot Ix; fixed, because all kinds of glue are not homoge- 

 neous, so that some require more and some less. The 

 *2 propc? 



