Brass rubbing was originally a largely British enthusiasm for reproducing onto paper monumental brasses – commemorative brass plaques found in churches, usually originally on the floor, from between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. The concept of recording textures of things is more generally called making a rubbing. What distinguishes rubbings from frottage is that rubbings are meant to reproduce the form of something being transferred, whereas frottage is usually only intended to use a general texture.
The Brass rubbing is a graphical imaging technique, as in the case of a poor imitation of an object by abrasion, is usually transmitted with chalk or pencil on paper down an inclined surface relief. It enables detailed reproduction and documentation of engraved metal plates or inscriptions as well as various other surface structures on paper. The easy-to-learn technique is particularly widespread in England . The same technique is used to cover the cover .
Brass rubbings are created by laying a sheet of paper on top of a brass (actually called “latten” – an alloy of brass and nickel) and rubbing the paper with graphite, wax, or chalk, a process similar to rubbing a pencil over a piece of paper placed on top of a coin. In the “old days” rubbings were most commonly made using the equivalent of what nowadays is called “butcher’s paper” [a 22–30-inch-wide (560–760 mm) roll of whitish paper] laid down over the brass and rubbed with “heelball”, a waxy glob of black crayon once used to shine shoes. Now most brass rubbers purchase special paper rolls of heavy duty black velvety material, and the crayons are gold, silver or bronze (other colours are available).
Brass plaques are slowly but surely worn away by the rubbing process and in many cases creating rubbings is banned. Brass rubbing centres with replicas of original brass plaques have become a prime source for brass rubbings in the UK. Replicas are often not the same scale as the original.
A well-known child’s play is e.g.the depiction of coinage by frottage , especially in the USA, terry cloths of famous tombstones are a popular tourist souvenir .
Monumental brasses
Towards the end of the High Middle Ages , Europe’s wealthy social classes began to erect elaborate tombs and epitaphs in churches and cathedrals. While such monuments were previously reserved for the nobility or high clergy, members of the lower aristocracy , wealthy citizens and priests could now be immortalized in this way. In addition to figurative representations of the deceased, there are also coats of arms, Ornaments or church utensils on the memorial stones. Especially on the continent, most of these monuments were carved out of stone either fully or semi-plastically. However, there are also numerous engraved metal plates in the churches of Europe.
A particularly large number of examples have survived in England (around 8,000, including around 4,000 with figurative representations), while the formerly rich French population was almost completely destroyed by the religious wars of the 16th century and the French Revolution . In Germany, remarkable examples have survived in northern Germany and Saxony, for example in the domes of Meißen and Freiberg, However, engraved grave monuments were much rarer in German-speaking countries than in Western Europe. Such bream – where the name comes from in connection with “rubbing” – was cheaper and easier to transport than sculpting. The illustrations were engraved or etched into the metal in the manner of copper engravings , and the plates were then polished.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in the course of the rediscovery of the Middle Ages, England also became aware of the – often very decorative – engraved grave monuments. In the Victorian era in particular, abrasion was highly valued as decorative items. Because of the similarity of these objects with printing plates, the engravings were sometimes filled with color at that time and prints were made on paper. This technique naturally had clear disadvantages: on the one hand, the color was difficult to remove from the plate, on the other hand, the prints were reversed, which was particularly noticeable with inscriptions.
For these reasons, such attempts were quickly abandoned. The old child’s play was remembered, coins with graphite pencils on paperrub through ( frottage ) and used this method to reproduce the representations on the metal plates. The best results came from the use of wax crayons, which are now specially made for this purpose and are available in the UK from art supply stores and craft stores.
The Society of Antiquaries of London , the Cambridge University Library , the Ashmolean Library (Oxford), the British Library (London), and the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) have major collections of Abschriften . These collections were created as early as the 19th century and therefore also preserve some rubbings from plates lost today.
The technique
In addition to the wax crayons, all you really need is paper and tape. The paper web is fixed on the plate with the adhesive tape and smoothed out. Then rub carefully on the paper with the wax pencil so that the image is transferred cleanly. The engraved lines stand out in the color of the paper from the colored surface. It takes several hours to make a large abrasion, sometimes different colored pencils are used. However, most rubbings are made in one color, usually with black wax on white paper. Properly executed abrasion is completely harmless to the original. Compared to photographyThe process offers clear advantages: Even the smallest details are reproduced in their original size without distortion. The paper webs can be easily stored rolled up, and larger study collections can also be created. However, most rubbings today are made for decorative purposes. Brass rubbing is a common pastime in England. The representations of knights in chain mail or armor are particularly popular . Many lovers of this hobby are organized in the Monumental Brass Society . This association has researched the engraved tombstones of Europe and the spread of the technique of brass rubbing made to the task.
In addition to the engraved metal plates, there are similar stone monuments ( incised slabs ). The surfaces of these monuments are of course much more sensitive, rubbing would usually lead to damage. A gentle alternative here is dabbing , so the wax or paint is carefully dabbed onto the paper using a bale of fabric. Due to the lack of pressure, this method leads to poorer results, it is mainly used for documentation purposes.