Life After Death: Brass Rubbings

No matter the culture, or time period, people will create memorials of people they don’t want to forget. Medieval Europe and later England between the 13th and the 17th century chose to use engraved brass plaques. They were effigies that ranged from a couple of inscribed words and symbols to elaborate pictorial depictions of people that could include their names, and their story.

These engraved brass markers were laid in churches, some hidden under pews or behind the organ, and others in plain sight. Monumental brasses allow us to see a glimpse into daily life, relationships between people, and developments of armour, fashion and other important symbols of all classes of society. It was not just the highly wealthy that had monumental brasses made for them. Since monumental brasses include all classes, civilians that would be lost to history have records and their stories preserved. 

Brass rubbings are copies of these memorials through the use of paper and a transfer medium such as wax or carbon. As you rub the brass onto the paper or parchment you create a duplicate. This creates a unique opportunity to take the artifact without having to remove it from its original location and context. History can travel without taking the memorial out of its intended location.

This exhibtion is a showcase of the 109 prints held by The Centre of Medieval Studies of the University of Toronto.

Credits

Amy Bridges & Jordan St. Augustine