Rare glazed red earthenware reclining lamb sugar mold Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1820-1860

Repaired crack.

Joe Kindig III, York, Pennsylvania, 1980

American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 156, fig. 122

With old repaired crack.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The traditional foodways practiced for both special festivities and daily meals called for molds or special forms that enabled the proud cook to present finished dishes in decorative shapes. Carved from wood, cast or stamped from metal, or formed from clay, molds were popular in both Germanic and English households in Pennsylvania. A number of local potteries produced specialized molds in various forms for presentation cakes, puddings, candies, and other treats. For example, the account book of Josiah Swank, a potter working in Upper Westmoreland County, recorded "pound cake molds" at a cost of 18 3/4 cents apiece in 1848.¹

This small two-part mold in the form of a reclining lamb was probably used in the making of molded sugar, chocolate, or other confections. Small molded candies in the form of animals were a popular part of Christmas, Easter, and harvest celebrations, and the making of crystallized sugar candies was a seasonal activity during the fall maple sugaring cycles. Once gathered, raw maple sap was boiled to concentrate its sweetness and thicken its consistency. As the mixture began to crystallize and harden, it was mixed with a small amount of butter and poured or pressed into such molded clay or carved wooden forms to set. Both professional confectioners and domestic kitchens produced the popular candies.

The glazed interior of this example indicates its use in food production. Glazing, while minimizing the smaller details of the molded design, prevented the absorption of flavors into the mold and promoted the release of the confection once it solidified. Potters, chalkware makers, and other craftsmen employed similar small earthenware molds but usually left the interior surfaces unglazed to facilitate finer detail in the molded features and the absorption of moisture from the liquid clays or plaster to be cast. -J.L.L.

¹ Scott T. Swank, Arts of the Pennsylvania Germans (New York: W.W. Norton in association with Winterthur, 1983), p. 177.