Copper Rooster Mould | Raised Relief | Tin-Lined | Cast Brass Handles

Copper Rooster Mould | Raised Relief | Tin-Lined | Cast Brass Handles

The rooster stands among fern leaves and scattered stars, worked into the copper with as much care as any ornament.

Copper has long been used for kitchen moulds, valued for the way it conducts heat and for the detailed forms it can take. A lining of tin provided a protective surface between the food and the copper. In moulds with decoration worked into the base, the design would stand in relief on top of the dish once it was turned out. Many are now kept as decorative pieces for the kitchen.

The mould is round and shallow, with plain sides and a stepped rim at the open edge. The base is worked with a standing rooster in raised relief, facing left, with a full comb, wattle and sweeping tail. The feathers are picked out in fine lines. Fern-like sprays frame the bird on either side, and small stars are scattered across the ground. Two cast brass handles are fixed opposite each other, each held with two copper rivets. The interior is tin-lined, and the hollow of the rooster can be seen from inside.

Very good condition, with no damage. The copper is bright and the relief crisp. The tin lining is intact, with uneven colouring across the interior.

Key Details

• Maker: unidentified
• Form: round, shallow mould with two handles
• Material: copper, tin-lined; cast brass handles fixed with copper rivets
• Decoration: standing rooster in raised relief, with fine line detail, fern sprays and small stars
• Marks: none
• Dimensions: length 30.5 cm (including handles); width 23.9 cm; height 6.3 cm
• Weight: 542 g
• Condition: very good; no damage; tin lining intact, uneven in colour
• Buyer profile: collectors of copper and kitchenalia, and anyone dressing a country or farmhouse kitchen

Collector Appeal

The rooster fills the whole base of this mould, modelled in strong relief and set between fern sprays. The bright copper and cast brass handles suit a kitchen wall or an open shelf, and the intact tin lining keeps the feature that made it a working kitchen mould.

A mould gives its shape to whatever is set in it, and keeps that shape long after the dish is gone.