Bois durci

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