{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O41246"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O41246/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BK4616/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BK4616/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006BK4616","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2019LV4325","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O41246/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O41246","accessionNumber":"REPRO.1906-2","objectType":"Statue","titles":[{"title":"St Barbara","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"St Barbara was revered as an early Christian saint. It is said that her father, a rich pagan, carefully guarded her and kept her locked in a tower. She was tortured and martyred when she refused to marry a pagan and renounce her faith. Here she holds a chalice, a cup used during Mass, although she is often portrayed holding a tower. The colours used on the plaster cast reflect the multiple colours of the original wood carving.","physicalDescription":"Plaster cast of a wooden statue depicting St Barbara holding a chalice, in the Mainfrankisches Museum, Würzburg. The colours used on the plaster cast reflect the multiple colours of the original wood carving.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Semmelmayr, Josef","id":"A18059"},"association":{"text":"caster","id":"AAT25257"},"note":"Copy"},{"name":{"text":"Riemenschneider, Tilman","id":"A4024"},"association":{"text":"sculptor","id":"x43862"},"note":"School of Tilman Riemenschneider\r\n\r\nOriginal"}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"plaster","id":"AAT14922"},{"text":"paint","id":"AAT15029"}],"techniques":[{"text":"cast","id":"AAT53104"},{"text":"painting","id":"x30598"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Painted plaster cast","categories":[{"text":"Sculpture","id":"THES48896"},{"text":"Christianity","id":"THES48978"},{"text":"Plaster Cast","id":"THES270451"},{"text":"Cast Courts","id":"THES280650"},{"text":"Copies and Facsimiles","id":"THES253072"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SCP","id":"THES48600"},"images":["2006BK4616","2019LV4325"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"46A","id":"THES49799"},"free":"","case":"WE","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Copy of a wooden statue","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Germany","id":"x28873"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"Copy"},{"place":{"text":"Würzburg","id":"x32658"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"Original"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1906","earliest":"1901-01-01","latest":"1910-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"Copy"},{"date":{"text":"ca. 1500-10","earliest":"1495-01-01","latest":"1510-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"Original"}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"112.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"measurement taken from departmental record"}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Cast of a wooden statue created in Germany and purchased from Josef Semmelmayr in 1906 for £3 3s 6d. The cast depicts St Barbara holding a chalice which was sculpted by the School of Tilman Riemenschneider in Würzburg about 1500-10.","historicalContext":"Making plaster copies is a centuries-old tradition that reached the height of its popularity during the 19th century. The V&A's casts are of large-scale architectural and sculptural works as well as small scale, jewelled book covers and ivory plaques, these last known as fictile ivories. \r\n\r\nThe Museum commissioned casts directly from makers and acquired others in exchange. Oronzio Lelli, of Florence was a key overseas supplier while, in London, Giovanni Franchi and Domenico Brucciani upheld a strong Italian tradition as highly-skilled mould-makers, or formatori.\r\n\r\nSome casts are highly accurate depictions of original works, whilst others are more selective, replicating the outer surface of the original work, rather than its whole structure. Like a photograph, they record the moment the cast was taken: alterations, repairs and the wear and tear of age are all reproduced in the copies. The plasters can also be re-worked, so that their appearance differs slightly from the original from which they were taken.\r\n\r\nTo make a plaster cast, a negative mould has to be taken of the original object. The initial mould could be made from one of several ways. A flexible mould could be made by mixing wax with gutta-percha, a rubbery latex product taken from tropical trees. These two substances formed a mould that had a slightly elastic quality, so that it could easily be removed from the original object. Moulds were also made from gelatine, plaster or clay, and could then be used to create a plaster mould to use for casting. \r\nWhen mixed with water, plaster can be poured into a prepared mould, allowed to set, and can be removed to produce a finished solid form. The moulds are coated with a separating or paring agent to prevent the newly poured plaster sticking to them. The smooth liquid state and slight expansion while setting allowed the quick drying plaster to infill even the most intricate contours of a mould. \r\nFlatter, smaller objects in low relief usually require only one mould to cast the object. For more complex objects, with a raised surface, the mould would have to be made from a number of sections, known as piece-moulds. These pieces are held together in the so-called mother-mould, in order to create a mould of the whole object. Once the object has been cast from this mother-mould, the piece-moulds can be easily removed one by one, to create a cast of the three-dimensional object.","briefDescription":"Plaster cast of a wooden statue bought from Josef Semmelmayr in 1906 depicting St Barbara holding a chalice. The original was made by the School of Tilman Riemenschneider in Würzburg about 1500-10.","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"Copy","id":"THES48865"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Barbara (Saint)","id":"N928"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"figures (representations)","id":"AAT189808"},{"text":"saints","id":"AAT150555"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Cast of\r\nSchool of Tilman Riemenschneider\r\nSt Barbara\r\nAbout 1500–10\n\nSt Barbara was revered as an early Christian saint. It is said that her father, a rich pagan, carefully guarded her and kept her locked in a tower. She was tortured and martyred when she refused to marry a pagan and renounce her faith. Here she holds a chalice, a cup used during Mass, although she is often portrayed holding a tower. The colours used on the plaster cast reflect the multiple colours of the original wood carving.\n\nCast\r\nPainted plaster\r\nGermany\r\nBought from Josef Semmelmayr,\r\nWürzburg in 1906\r\nMuseum no. Repro.1906-2\n\nOriginal\r\nCarved and painted limewood\r\nMainfrankisches Museum,\r\nWürzburg","date":{"text":"04/07/2018","earliest":"2018-07-04","latest":"2018-07-04"}},{"text":"St Barbara was revered as an early Christian saint, and was said to have been carefully guarded by her father, a rich pagan, who kept her locked up in a tower in order to preserve her chastity. She refused to renounce her faith, and was subsequently tortured and martyred.  She is shown holding a chalice, partly covered by the drapery of her robes. The colours used on the plaster reflect the polychromy of the original wood carving.\r\n\r\nHolly Trusted","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null}}],"partNumbers":["REPRO.1906-2"],"accessionNumberNum":"2","accessionNumberPrefix":"REPRO","accessionYear":1906,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-22","recordCreationDate":"2000-07-05","availableToBook":false}}