Cast

Art Historical Context

This plaster cast from 19th-century Europe exemplifies the era’s widespread practice of creating reproductions to preserve and share sculptural details. Often produced from molds of original works in stone or bronze, such casts allowed artists, students, and the public to study intricate designs—like the delicate leaves suggested by the work’s tags—without traveling to distant collections. Measuring just 17½ inches, the piece likely captures a fragment of foliage, highlighting the naturalistic motifs popular in European decorative arts of the time. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art i...