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This piece of the collection is what is known as a foundry form. Foundry forms were made by master woodworkers to extremely accurate specifications, and then used to make a negative by baking a mixture of sand and molasses in the form, which gave them their lovely lustrous colors after having been used. The negative forms thereby created were used to cast iron around to make parts for ships or other heavy machinery. Quite some years ago I was in the right place at the right time, and was able to pick through a huge pile of foundry forms that was being thrown out by the owners of a warehouse in Chester, Pennsylvania, thus adding a few pieces like this one to the Owen collection.
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