There are great rewards to the difficult hobby that is brassing and you will hear the same thing from this one couple who find much joy in doing this. For them to introduce you to brassing you should be polite in asking. To understand what brassing is, it is transferring the images of the flat metal figures commonly seen in tombs, images in stones in churches, and other decorative pieces from 13th to 17th Century England to paper to make artwork that could be exhibited.
In this case, it may sound pretty simple but the couple stress how difficult the process could be. Spending four years in England was this couple before they were transferred to an Air Force base just about one year ago. Other than being able to obtain antique furniture and other things, the display resulting from this couples interest in collecting antiques also include antique dishes and utensils. Although brassing is unheard of in most parts of the United States, when the couple arrived in England they grew fond of the activity which was rather popular over there.
Placing them on tombs or the floors of nearby churches, in the 13th Century was when the upper class English began to honor their dead by having flat brass portraits engraved. The image is recreated when special black paper is placed over the brasses and is rubbed with a special gold colored wax bar which looks like a bar of soap.
Following the ridges in the brass the wax rubs off on the paper recreating a certain image. From the original monument, about 200 paper images and a duplicate brass were brought back by the couple. When it comes to the brass they treasure most, this was of Sir John d' Abernon who died in battle in 1277. A couple of months early is what it takes to book an appointment when it comes to taking rubbings off of this earliest known brass.
What the Vicars in charge of the brasses were strict about as the couple said was only permitting those who have experience to make duplicates of the brasses. Duplicates of brass were sold for $2,000 each in New York and this caused outrage for the English who are now stricter when it comes to making these duplicates requiring those interested in doing so to first sign a waiver that says that they will not be involved in the selling of these duplicates.
When it comes to the remaining monuments from the large number originally put down from 1250 to 1650 8,000 are left. The monuments include several clues and through these brasses it has been possible for the historians to trace the development of clothing and armor not to mention lifestyle. Other than discovering how a lion pictured at the feet of a knight means that he died in battle, they were also able to find out that a hound at someone's feet meant that he liked to hunt with dogs.
Brassing may not be as popular when it comes to the US for art is still catching up here. In making replicates of manhole covers, etchings on tombstones, and other decorative engravings, rubbing can be used. A hobby like this is still enjoyable even if the couple needed four hours to complete the rubbing of Sir d' Abernon. Being requested by several schools and art shows is that the couple display some of their rubbings.
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