COLLECTING HAND-CARVED FOLK ART
PAPIER-MACHE MOLDS
by Sarabeth K. Samoray, Gull Cottage Antiques

Ever wonder how the old papier-mache candy containers, puppet heads and toys we have inherited and collected over the years were made? The earliest mache items were molded upon hand-carved wooden forms, carved primarily in the Philippine Islands for the American and German markets.

Ordinary Philippine artists with no formal training had been carving figures with chisel and hammer for religious holidays and celebrations since the Spanish arrived in 1580. However, the carving changed to molds for papier-mache figures around 1890 with the height of the mache industry being 1920 to 1950. The Philippine artists went from carving for an occasional small holiday or religious market in their town to embarking upon a significant industry of hand-carved molds for manufactured mache items exported to countries around the world. Mache candy containers for Easter, Halloween and Christmas, puppet heads, Mardi Gras masks, large store display figures and other items became the staple of the island. Today the molds upon which the mache was molded have been re-discovered and are now sought after for the fine folk-art that they are.

The multiple productions of papier-mache objects required the hand carved hardwood sculptures. These became the positive wooden molds called Takaans (pronounced ta.ka.ahns) that were coated with wax release agents. The molds were generally carved from green mango wood that was left to dry slowly. For the more popular figures several matching molds were created, each with its own unique "personality". No two molds exhibit the exact same details or expressions.

The carvers spent a lot of time on intricate detail: finely feathered hair, the mane of a horse, the links in a chain or the expression on a face - features that were not readily seen once the mache had dried and was cut off the mold. These exacting details were carved both because of the artistic ideas of each carver and because of a competitive spirit to be the best. Just as an American quilter added more stitches per inch to her quilt or a duck decoy carver took great pains to detail the feathers on a wooden bird, the Philippine artist also strove to make his carvings a work of art.

The end process of the mold making was the finished mache form. This is what produced income. Many layers of paper soaked in natural rice starch were laid upon the molds and dried. Once dry, the tough paper shells - which mirrored each woodcarving, were cut away with sharp blades. The front and rear halves were peeled off and re-joined. Since the details from the molds were only vaguely visible on the exterior of the mache forms much hand painting of the details was done to complete the items for the American marketplace. Seams were papered over and the hollow lightweight papier-mache castings were then embellished and protected with paint and gilding. The process was repeated again and again. When papier-mache artisans had filled their orders, the wooden carvings were retired.

Because of repeated coatings of pigmented waxes, molds often developed a rich warm patina; the tonal quality of the wax produced surfaces resembling mahogany, walnut, and other hard woods. Molds with visible knife marks are an indication of a more popular motif used repeatedly. It is not uncommon to find molds with extremities repaired or replaced. Repairs and knife marks do not lessen the value of the wooden mold.

The wooden molds producing the papier-mache forms were regarded as valuable tools of the trade. A vast majority of the molds were eventually destroyed during the Second World War when the Japanese occupied and burned the islands. Those Takaans that survived were hidden from the Japanese invaders when the Filipino carvers escaped with their families to the Sierra Madre hills with whatever meager clothing, food and farm animals they could take.

After 1950 the advent of mass-produced machine-pressed cardboard and later, rubber or polymer molds, replaced the labor-intensive paper mache pieces and, for the most part, ended the large-scale industry in the Philippine Islands.

A few molds have initials carved into the wood. The initials represent the family that held the rights to the income from the sale of the mache from that particular mold and are rarely those of the carver. Takaans exist today because, although lacking monetary value early on, their beautiful qualities endeared them to the families who owned them.

Rediscovered by American museums and antiques dealers, the retired molds have been salvaged and have begun to be acquired by a growing number of collectors. Most recently a major exhibit of Takaans was mounted at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Cleveland, Ohio. It is through the efforts of the museum that we can all appreciate and collect these beautiful pieces and proudly display them as quality folk-art.

A fine diverse assortment of Takaans is featured locally at Gull Cottage Antiques. Prices range from $18 for a small rabbit or ram puppet head to hundreds of dollars for large detailed pieces and early religious work. It is becoming increasingly difficult to gain access to these pieces in the Philippines due to the civil unrest in that country. Investment quality folk-art is highly sought after, and we are seeing values steadily increase as the demand becomes greater than the supply.

For more information I suggest reading "Art of the Takaan", available from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, Ohio.

Gull Cottage Antiques, 2096 S. Lakeshore Rd. - Open seasonally: weekends, Mid-April through November, or by appointment, 810-622-9883.