Architectural molding fragment from Charleston, South Carolina

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

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.

Explore Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ↗