Molds in Museums


Many molds are sleeping in museums and cloisters. Nice to look at – and preserved.
Luckily there are some museums and some companies in Europe and Switzerland that make resin copies of these old molds. They copy the molds with all the imperfection there are – sometimes including even the woodworm.

The mold below is a copy of an Austrian mold from 1790 - sold by the Smithsonian. The date was carved on the mold but doesn’t appear on the cookie. There are initials (of the carver?) F. F. right and left to her feet. The Smithsonian calls it a gingerbread mold which it very well may be – looks good in speculaas.  J

It took me a whole evening to make these 8 ladies.
(Since my purchase I have seen other molds with the same subject: lady with big hair, fan, dress, always holding something in her left hand, in this case she is holding a flower! Fans were in fashion among young women in 1780-1790.  One could drop it – and the chosen one could pick it up. She is up to no good I would say!!)




The lady is 13" high.

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