Acronym and details: blood albumen and powdered wood
Group: thermoset
Developed: patented in Paris 1855, exhibited 1862 and 1867 International Exhibitions, London; commercial production ceased in 1875
Trade names:
Manufacturing process: compression moulding
Cost: high
Colour: black and dark brown, but sometimes has a lacquered finish
Transparency: always opaque
Rigidity: always rigid
Feel: hard
Smell: none
Other: can sometimes be identified by the moulding of a small bird’s wing or by the name ‘Bois Durci’
Typical uses: desk accessories; plaques with reliefs of notable people or mythological scenes
Degradation: relatively stable