Manufactured by
Unidentified
Owned by
Old Slave Mart Museum, American, founded 1937
Acacia Historical Arts International, Inc., American, founded 1989
Date
before 1863
Medium
stucco , plaster and paint on cement
Dimensions
H x W x D: 9 13/16 × 8 3/8 × 3 3/16 in. (25 × 21.2 × 8.1 cm)
Description
A molding fragment from Charleston, South Carolina. The fragment is from a horizontal architectural element of a building. The fragment’s body is composed of off-white cement. Approximately three-quarters of the back of the fragment is covered in stucco. The stucco has four, raised parallel lines running down the surface. It is tan in color with a large area of black discoloration at the top half of the fragment. Between the cement and the stucco layers is a thin layer of bright white plaster. The decorative surface is a very thick layer of a fine cementitious material finished in a gray paint wash. There is a dark hair embedded in the finished surface at the center of the fragment. The fragment’s profile is thin at the top and widens at the base. It has a cavetto molding at the top followed by a thumb molding below. There is a wide cavetto at the center flanked by two thin hallows at the top and bottom. Below is a beak molding that terminates in a partial cavetto molding. The Old Slave Mart Museum catalog number, [R174], is handwritten in black ink over a small rectangular patch of white painted on the bottom left side of the fragment’s decorative side. The edges of the fragment are jagged and rough on all four sides.
Place used
Charleston, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
Place collected
Charleston, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Buildings and Structures
Type
moldings and molding components: architectural
Topic
American South
Architecture
Building Arts
Skilled labor
Slavery
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2017.108.21.45
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd55c8cf300-eb43-4e3b-a382-d5c81f5e0b93

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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