METAL LOBSTER SORBET MOLD, PROBABLY 19TH CENTURY, FOR PRESIDENT CLINTON DINNER

METAL LOBSTER SORBET MOLD, PROBABLY 19TH CENTURY, FOR PRESIDENT CLINTON DINNER The vintage two-part mold depicts the detailed body of a lobster and was used in 1995 to fashion a decorative dessert sorbet for President Clintonâ s formal dinner where he welcomed African American clergy to the White House. This dessert buffet, featuring the lobster molded sorbet and candied orange segments, was formally titled â Fishermanâ s Fantasy"; the mold is marked with the manufacturer's number 505. See final dessert image. - h:3 w:13.75 in.

Provenance: Private collection of Former White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier. First Lady Rosalynn Carter hired Mesnier, who served 26 years under five presidents: Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. According to Creating the Sweet World of White House Desserts: A Pastry Chef's Secrets, Mesnier created stunning desserts for more than 40 queens, kings, princes, princesses and heads of state.

Literature: Roland Mesnier and Mark Ramsdell, Creating the Sweet World of White House Desserts: A Pastry Chef's Secrets (Washington, D.C.: The White House Historical Association, 2019), p. 15.