subject: Honoring The Dead Via Brass [print this page] 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. Ask them nicely, and they may even tell you what brassing is. In brassing, you are taking 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 and transfer them on paper to reproduce works of art that are ideal for exhibits.
Such a process seems simple when seen in this context but the couple stands by its difficulty. They were stationed in England for four years up until about a year ago when they were transferred to an Air Force base.
This couple is engaged in collecting antiques and they have been able to obtain quite a display of antique furniture, dishes, utensils, and other items. This is not an ordinary thing in most parts of the United States but in England brassing was popular and the couple grew fond of it when they were there.
Not only were engraved flat brass portraits placed on tombs but some were also placed on the floors of nearby churches during the 13th Century as a way for the upper class English to honor their dead. There is special black paper that is used to line the brasses and this is rubbed by a special gold colored wax bar resulting to an image transfer.
Wherever there are ridges in the brass the wax rubs off on the paper and the image appears. Able to bring back from the original monument 200 paper images and a duplicate brass was the couple.
The brass they treasure most, however, is one of Sir John d' Abernon, who died in battle in 1277. Months ahead of time is the period necessary to book appointments for rubbings because of its popularity as this is the earliest known brass.
According to the couples, the Vicars in charge of the brasses saw to it that only those with prior experience were allowed to duplicate the brasses. Due to the actions of some Americans that brought back duplicates and then sold them in New York for $2,000 each the English are now stricter when it comes to allowing people to make duplicates even requiring them to sign waivers that state the absence of any intent to sell.
Considering the large number initially put down from 1250 to 1650, about 8,000 monuments remain. It is with many thanks to these brasses that the historians have been able to get the clues from the monuments that were necessary for them to trace the development of everything from armor and clothing to lifestyle. From these came about information that included a lion pictured at the feet of a knight means that he died in battle as well as a hound at someone's feet meant that he liked to hunt with dogs.
You could say that art is not as advanced in the US so only a few brasses can be found here. Recreating etchings on tombstones, decorative engravings, and manhole covers can be accomplished through rubbing.
Even though the rubbing of Sir d' Abernon required four hours for the couple to finish it is such a fun activity. Several schools and art shows have asked the couple to display their rubbings there.
