For interior classical decoration, which was a step below wood carved, they used plaster molds which were heavily shellacked. A putty like mixture of wood flower, fine fuller’s earth (powdered clay), plaster and hide glue was made, with the consistency of thick cake batter or even more like raw pizza dough. This material was then poured or pressed into the plaster molds, which had been given a thin coat of linseed oil, as a release. Often a bit of coarse linen was pressed into the back and horse hair in the mix as a reinforcement. Once out of the mold, the decorations could be glued to wood and painted, with Faux wood grain pattern or stone.
