Historical Survey

Early History and Renaissance. Press-molded decoration has been used with various soft plastic materials for centuries. For example, it is known that medieval sculptors press-molded organic mixtures to decorate painted sculptures. But because mixtures based on organic binders such as glue, oil, resins, and waxes are prone to various sorts of degradation, actual survivors are rare.

The direct ancestors of the composition craft are most likely found in the Italian Renaissance; however, composition mixtures were not extensively used for architectural decoration during this period, probably due to building traditions as well as relative expense. It is worth nothing that this was an age of experimentation with materials and rediscovery of Greek and Roman designs. Press molded mixtures called pastiglias were used to decorate wooden boxes and picture frames as early as the 14th century. Moldable compositions were discussed by various Renaissance writers. The recipes are extremely varied and include, among their more common and understandable ingredients, gypsum, lead carbonate, wood and marble dust, eggs, pigments, sheep's wool, and various oils and resins.

The 18th Century. The first flowering of architectural composition in America took place at the end of the 18th century when ornaments were both imported from England and produced by makers in every major eastern city. All of the conditions were right: molding technologies were well established (architectural papier mache, which, like composition, was produced in molds, had gained widespread acceptance during the middle decades of the century). The raw materials were produced or imported in volume, so the cost of the composition ingredients came down as the cost and availability of highly skilled labor went up. Economic and social conditions favored centralized "manufactories" in the production of various arts and crafts.

Design trends also fed into a favorable reception for composition. A more faithful reinterpretation of Greek and Roman design eventually termed "Neoclassical" had taken hold in Europe, championed in England by the architect, Robert Adam, after his return from study in Italy in 1758. Although Adam played no direct role in the "invention" of composition ornament, as has sometimes been said, he patronized English craftsmen who were making it and was generally receptive to new and innovative materials. One early maker, sometimes cited as the "inventor" of composition by his contemporaries, was John Jaques. His name appears in London advertising by 1785, but he was probably in business before then.