Brass Rubbing
ca. 1370 (made), 03/1923 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Monumental brasses are commemorative plaques that served as effigies and were most commonly found in churches. The earliest examples come from the thirteenth century but they were popular up until the seventeenth century and then again in the Victorian Gothic Revival. Surviving brasses from the medieval period are limited due to the turbulent history of the Church but they do survive in considerable numbers in the East of England, Germany and Flanders. Made from an alloy of copper and zinc, a material known as latten, they were laid into church floors and walls. Monumental brasses are historically and stylistically significant because they record dress, architecture, armoury, heraldry (coats of arms and insignia) and palaeography (handwriting) in a dated object. In addition they tell the story of memorial and patronage.
The practice of recording brasses through a process of rubbing originates from the Victorian Gothic Revival. An early method of pouring printer’s ink into engraved lines and then placing damp tissue paper over the brass was replaced around the mid-nineteenth century with the more effective technique of using black shoemaker’s wax, known as heel ball. Brass rubbing continued to be a popular hobby into the twentieth century before the process was understood to cause damage to the brasses.
The practice of recording brasses through a process of rubbing originates from the Victorian Gothic Revival. An early method of pouring printer’s ink into engraved lines and then placing damp tissue paper over the brass was replaced around the mid-nineteenth century with the more effective technique of using black shoemaker’s wax, known as heel ball. Brass rubbing continued to be a popular hobby into the twentieth century before the process was understood to cause damage to the brasses.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | rubbing on paper, made with yellow-brown heel-ball and Indian ink |
Brief description | Rubbing of a brass of a civilian in Deddington Church, Oxfordshire, by H. Tyrrell Green, 1923 |
Physical description | Rubbing of a brass of a half-effigy of a civilian, depicted with his hood down and his hands in prayer. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Given by the Rev. H. Tyrrell Green |
Object history | Rubbing taken at Deddington Church, Oxford by Rev. H. Tyrrell Green to illustrate his method of work with yellow-brown heel-ball and Indian ink. When the rubbing was given by Rev. Tyrell Green he added the following note on technique: ‘In the first instance the rubbing is done with Ullathorne’s brown heel-ball on fairly good ceiling paper till a good surface is obtained; then Indian ink is smeared all over it and wiped off quickly with a duster or piece of flannel until the surface is polished. A piece of about 1 foot square should be done at a time and wiped in the same direction all the time.’ |
Summary | Monumental brasses are commemorative plaques that served as effigies and were most commonly found in churches. The earliest examples come from the thirteenth century but they were popular up until the seventeenth century and then again in the Victorian Gothic Revival. Surviving brasses from the medieval period are limited due to the turbulent history of the Church but they do survive in considerable numbers in the East of England, Germany and Flanders. Made from an alloy of copper and zinc, a material known as latten, they were laid into church floors and walls. Monumental brasses are historically and stylistically significant because they record dress, architecture, armoury, heraldry (coats of arms and insignia) and palaeography (handwriting) in a dated object. In addition they tell the story of memorial and patronage. The practice of recording brasses through a process of rubbing originates from the Victorian Gothic Revival. An early method of pouring printer’s ink into engraved lines and then placing damp tissue paper over the brass was replaced around the mid-nineteenth century with the more effective technique of using black shoemaker’s wax, known as heel ball. Brass rubbing continued to be a popular hobby into the twentieth century before the process was understood to cause damage to the brasses. |
Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Engraving, Illustration and Design and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1923, London: Board of Education, 1925. |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.392-1923 |
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Record created | June 30, 2009 |
Record URL |
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