Evocative 1877 Plaster Portrait Mold of Bearded Gentleman barrel shaped box which softened/eroded with use

which softened/eroded with use

so of course I scooped it up immediately

The textile itself measures 15

with Yantra at center (the circle inside of triangle inside of circle)

Not so easy to photograph

Evocative 1877 Plaster Portrait Mold of Bearded Gentleman barrel shaped box which softened/eroded with useI think I'd be way less interested in the cast plaster portraits created from this than I am in the mold itself, which I find super evocative and a bit haunting too, with all of its patina now making it feel a bit like a momento mori. I don't know who this man was, but there is a date of 1877 carved into the back. Around the perimeter is an old iron wire holding it together one assumes added at the time it cracked along his shoulder with a beautiful