{HISTORY}

Made in Germany by Waechtersbach Pottery in the 1880s and sold in the kitchen retail store of Gustave M. Thurnauer & Bro in Nuremberg, Germany, this antique ceramic rabbit mold was made for creating decorative puddings and similar molded confections.

Sweet in style and dynamic in finished shape, the pudding, once congealed in the mold, would be flipped over, revealing the full shape of a rabbit, including the head, ears, body, and cotton puff tail. This type of shape with its flat bottom, made the pudding platter ready, while offering room for additional garnishing all around.

A rare find today, from a hard-to find distributer, G. M. T & Bro was established in New York City on Duane Street in 1883 and sold an assortment of kitchen-related equipment and supplies. A successful endeavor within ten years, G.M.T. moved to a larger building on Reade Street, taking up four floors, and also opened international branches in Paris and Nuremberg. Especially adept at introducing American and European cooks to the whimsical, unique, and time-saving kitchen tools that were new to the market, Thurnauer worked with a number of different manufacturers throughout Europe.  

With two holes punched in the bottom rim, this pudding mold could easily be hung from a hook on the wall for easy-access storage and pretty display. One of the things we love about this heirloom is its blue and white color palette. Many rabbit molds from the 19th and early 20th centuries were left undecorated, so it wasn't always easy to spot the contours of the rabbit inside the mold. But this one highlights the bunny's face, gorgeous long ears, and that cute cottonball tail. 

Resourceful, gentle, nimble, lovers of calm and peaceful places, and age-old signifiers of growth, having a rabbit in the kitchen has been a sign of good fortune in many cultures for centuries. A delightful complement to blue and white dish collections, this rare mold adds a touch of country cottage aesthetic to the kitchen and a wonderful representative of 19th century artistry when it comes to food presentation. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Rare, hard-to-find pudding mold
• Blue and white color palette
• Stamped on back with maker's mark, distributor's mark, and mold number

{CONDITION}

In lovely antique condition, this mold has a bright and shiny glaze both inside and out. There are no chips or cracks except for one 1/8th chip on the rim on the edge near the bunny's mouth, one pencil point-sized chip on the rim near the bunny's tail, and one 1/2” chip on the back of the mold. There is also a peppering of light gray dots staining the area between the ears and the tail. Please see photos.

{SIZE}

Measures 10” in length x 4.5” (width at widest part) x 3” (height) and weighs just under 1 lb.