Curtis,
Let me clarify: when I said that I found it hard to believe that museums would allow plaster casts back then I meant “Considering how careful museums seem to be regarding their artifacts nowadays, from a non scholar point of view, it seems like a big leap of faith.”
I have no reason to doubt you, or the research and casting you did in the past. It is something I knew nothing about so to hear it for the first time is a
bit of a shock. I’m not a scholar so I am not privy to the
work scholars do. From what you said in the post prior to mine, apparently the practice has fallen more into disuse by both
choice of new scholars and museum policy. That is what I would have expected being an outsider so the fact that you did a bunch of casting in the past was a surprise to me.
I would never doubt you and certainly not here. Sorry for any confusion and
poor writing on my
part.