Inspiration for woodcarvers | Plaster ornaments and useful models for woodcarvers | Plaster models of ornaments | Examples of woodcarvings

Patrick Damiaens

Ornamental Woodcarver

How to make a plaster ornament.

Useful models for woodcarvers.

As was already mentioned in other blog items, plaster models are very important to ornamental woodcarvers.

A plaster model, as the name already suggests, is a three-dimensional reproduction of what a certain ornament looks like.  For example, they give the ornamental woodcarver a realistic and tangible feel of the design and character of a certain style or period.   

Since certain ornaments are typical for a certain style or period, this helps to ascertain the period of a piece of furniture or a building. 

My workshop

Due to their design and tangible presence, models of ornaments play an important role in the education of any decent ornamental woodcarver. Even the most seasoned woodcarver can still draw a lot of inspiration from these models. 
An ornamental woodcarver is therefore always looking for new models. Whenever I’m abroad, visiting a fellow-woodcarver, I automatically pay full attention to their personal collection of plaster models and other plaster casts that adorn the walls of their workshop.
This represents an enormous wealth of information, which whets the appetite for taking on new woodcarving challenges.

 

Especially when I visit the woodcarver workshop “l’Ecole Boulle” in Paris, where the walls are absolutely plastered with beautiful “goodies”, I’m completely overtaken by this greedy sensation, making me think “I want that one” or “how I wish that one was mine”. The only solution at a time like this is to take as many pictures as possible.

This helps you to create an extensive educational archive; a useful personal archive that you can consult whenever you want.

l'école Boulle in Paris

As I mentioned earlier, there is no substitute for “the real thing”.  Plaster ornaments and other plaster casts are essential to the education of any woodcarver, who takes his profession seriously. 

Sketches and photographic material (especially taken with a digital camera) are starting to play a bigger role and have become increasingly more important in the quest for knowledge, but are by no means real substitutes for plaster models. 

l'école Boulle in Paris

Why did ornamental woodcarvers start using plaster ornaments?

Back in the day, when a woodcarver was commissioned to create a decoration or ornament, the design was first moulded in clay and shown to the client so that he or she could decide whether or not the design was to his or her liking. 

One would think that a woodcarver could basically use this clay model to start working on the wooden ornament. Unfortunately, the clay would dry out and start cracking. Pieces would fall off, making this a very inefficient model to use: not then, not now, not ever.
The solution was finally found by first making a mould of the clay model, which was then filled with plaster: the plaster model was born.

This was more durable and because of the hardness of the plaster, the woodcarver was able to take measurements for his workpiece.  This method was also used to create basic ornaments in plaster, to serve as a model and a source of inspiration for apprentices.

This work method is still very relevant and therefore I also apply it during the education of my students.

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How to make a plaster ornament

 Tangible models for woodcarvers

 

In this blog item, I introduce you to the different stages of making a leaf-shaped plaster model. 

Ornament Drawing

The modeling of the ornament in clay

Making a silicon mold

The silicon mold is ready

Casting a plaster ornament

The leaf-shaped ornament is finished

Course in woodcarving – ornamental carving

I’ve been teaching professional courses on the subject of the creation and carving of ornaments for 15 years now. This class – a course on “woodcarving - Liège ornaments” – has been successfully taught in Tongeren, (Limburg, Belgium) for many years now.

Every assignment or technique is executed in wood by me personally. These wooden panels or models are then used to create silicon moulds, so that the student has the opportunity to make his own plaster cast to serve as an example when working on his assignment in wood. The plaster casts are an important source of inspiration for the student, seeing as woodcarving is not only learned by doing, but also by observing and constantly being confronted with models and designs. 

For the moment, we have approximately 150 different models. Should you be interested in acquiring one of our educational ornaments, please feel free to contact us.

https://www.patrickdamiaens.info

PLASTER CASTS | PLASTER ORNAMENTS | CASTS OF ORNAMENTS | Historic plaster ornaments | PLASTER CASTS AND STATUES

The plaster-cast workshop of the Museum

Patrick Damiaens

Ornamental Woodcarver -
Historic plaster ornaments

Plaster casts of historical ornaments and plaster statues

The Museum of Art and History 

in Brussels (The Cinquantenaire )

The plaster-cast workshop of the Cinquantenaire Museum of Art and History in Brussels, the visit.

As you’ve undoubtedly noticed in other blog-items, the search for new ornamental models, designs and inspiration plays an important role in becoming an excellent ornamental woodcarver.

Sketches and photographic material are an important source of knowledge, the latter of which has become increasingly more important in the gathering of knowledge thanks to the invention of the digital camera. 

Tangible models from all kinds of material are, however, still the first and foremost form of inspiration. Seeing as wooden, stone or clay models aren’t easy to come by, plaster ornaments, casts of ornaments, plaster casts, statues and models are ideal substitutes for a woodcarver.

Wonderful plaster ornaments ,models and examples

Historic plaster ornaments

These Historic plaster ornaments, statues and casts hold great educational value. They allow the ornamentalist to truly observe the design and character of a certain stylistic period or to discover the typical characteristics of that period.

Every now and again I travel to Brussels and each time I’m there, I traditionally pay a visit to the Cinquantenaire Museum. My absolute favourite is the Museum of Art and History, which is Belgium’s largest museum. 

4000 different molds of plaster casts, plaster replicas and plaster ornaments 

Bas-relief  plaster

The Cinquantenaire Museum
 

In the Cinquantenaire Museum you can literally walk from prehistoric celts to Egyptian mummies. You can nose about for delftware and take a step back to gaze at the impressive Brussels tapestries.

One minute you can wander off to the orient and walk between the Asian Buddhas only to find yourself in a completely different part of the world the next, admiring a giant Easter Island statue. 

Not to mention the lovely collection of Belgian art nouveau…in short, in the Cinquantenaire Museum you can travel across time and continents, from prehistoric times to the 20^th century. It’s a delight to lose yourself in.

The museum has a section called ‘Atelier de Moulages’ or plaster-cast workshop (free admission). The people are really friendly and you can actually purchase plaster models, casts of ornaments, plaster statues and bas-reliefs at affordable prices.

For information on how to find the workshop, it’s best to turn to the museum’s inquiry/ticket office. Admission to the plaster-cast workshop is free. The educational and cultural service of the Cinquantenaire Museum organizes tours on request.

Main entrance of the Museum

The Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels

Collections

In the Cinquantenaire Museum,you can see national archaeological artefacts from prehistory to the age of the Merovingians, as well as finds from Egypt, the Near East, Iran and Classical Antiquity. 

Among the star attractions are the collections of Egyptian sarcophagi and Greek vases, the great mosaic floor from Apamea and the model of Ancient Rome. 

There are also non-European art treasures from China, South-east Asia, Central Asia, the cultural world of Islam, America and Oceania. Particularly famous is the collection of pre-Columbian art and another eye-catcher is the colossal statue from Easter Island. 

There is also a representative selection of European decorative art, ranging from Romanesque Art to Art Deco. Among the collections not to be missed are the Mosan liturgical treasures, the tapestries, the retables, the glassware and the Art Nouveau figures.

Indeed, some of the art treasures in this museum are right out of the top drawer.

Museum website

The Plaster-cast Workshop

The Plaster-cast Workshop was established in the nineteenth century during the reign of King Leopold II. It houses a collection of more than 4 000 casts of works of art dating from prehistoric times to the eighteenth century. 

In reproducing those works of art, the workshop’s specialized craftsmen employ traditional techniques in both the casting and the patination. 
To give you an idea of their work, we have made a selection from the various casts that they have made.

The Museum of art and history in Brussels the plaster-cast Workshop

Casting Workshop of the Museum, plaster replicas and bas-reliefs

By offering casts at reasonable prices, the workshop helps to promote art. 
The larger examples, such as busts, full-length statues, reliefs, etc., have to be ordered, but there is a good stock of the smaller examples. Indeed, there is something to suit everyone’s pocket and taste. 

Prices can be found on the pdf file and some casts are on sale in the Cinquantenaire Museum shop.

Admission to the workshop is free and the Educational and Cultural Service of the Cinquantenaire Museum organizes guided tours on request.

More information on plaster casts, casts of ornaments and historical plaster ornaments.
Plaster-casts Workshop
 

Opening hours

Tuesdays to Fridays : 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. en 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Closed on Weekends, Mondays, Feast-days, 1 January, 2, 15 en 16 November, and from 25 December to 31 December.

https://www.patrickdamiaens.info