BRASS RUBBING What Rubs Off Is Art, History

bv Paul Arthcrlon STONE HARBOR When you step out of the sunshine of 98th St into Virginia Maslin and Marguerite Glibert's Brass Rubbing Studio, you very quickly realize you haven’t entered just another shop or art studio. For one thing, brass rubbing isn’t exactly familiar to most people and, for another, studios are usually for viewing and buying. This studio is much more.

Indeed; after 15 minutes inside you can leave with your own work of yt and a feel — literally — for the’ history from which it originated. bUT FIRST OF ALL, what is brass rubbing? In its. simplest form we all served our apprenticeship at This art form when we were children. Remember when we placed a piece of paper over a penny and traced the penny on the paper by shading it with a pencil? In the case of brass rubbingi a piece of black paper is fixed over a brass engraving and rubbed with either a silver or gold wax.' The result is a beautiful tracing, remarkably true to the original brass. Although the studio does some custom rubbing, visitors to the studio usually rub their own brass. The brasses used in the Stone Harbor studio are exact facsimiles of brasses salvager) from cathedrals' and churches in England and Europe. They depict knights in armor, families of the wealthy middle class from the medieval period, religious scenes and animals. "MOST PEOPLE when they come into the studio know nothing about brass rubbing,” says Virginia Maslin, “but a lot come back because they think their rubbings are so beautiful,” The idea for the local studio, like most of the brasses themselves, started in England. Marguerite Glibert lived in England for a time two years ago where she got her initial enthusiasm Jor brass rubbing from

visiting old churches. Her friend and now business associate, Virginia Maslin, went to visit her and they decided to open the studio in Stone Harbor. They brought back not only the 31 brasses they have currently at the studio, but a contagious en-, thusiasm for the brasses and an intimate knowledge of their history. MOST OF THE original brasses were commissioned by the wealthy merchant class from medieval times (1250) to the seventeenth century. Very little is known about any of the crafts'men who made them, but is probable they were members of religious orders. In the early days of brass rubbing, people obtained their rubbings from the originals for use as wall hangings — as they are used today. But the constant rubbing caused many brasses to wear away. So, today, the facsimiles are used for rubbing. "Besides being a beautiful decoration, the brasses are an invaluable record of the armor and clothes of the time,” Marguerite Glibert s

STUDIO PROPRIETORS Virginia Maslin, Glibert show how it’s done.

left, and Marguerite

turned up in peculiar places. The John and Alice Chudderleagh brass, dated 1465, was found in an outhouse. Nature, also, has taken its toll — with the result that of an estimated 100,000 brasses made, only 7,500 remain. As well as being a cultural addition to the town, the two ladies believe their studio has something for everyone. "When you rub the brass we give you the history of the family," explains Maslin. "It’s a history lesson, and children especially find it very interesting,” continues.Glibert. THE KNIGHTS ih armhr tend to be the most popular rubbings, while children favor the animal brasses. The “Lace Lady" brass of Margaret Peyton made in 1484 illustrates the splendid intracy of her gown. Another brass suggests a longrforgotten romantic intrigue:,'Sir John de Foxley, 1378, was one of King Edward’s favorite knights. His<marriage to

Maud Brocas may have been a runaway one, since the Vicar of Bray was suspended from the city for a year after the ceremony." The studio also has copies/of Ameritan gravestones with nautical themes, which Originated in New England. There are contemporary brasses, made especially for rubbing, of William Shakespeare, Elizabeth 1, Mary, Queen of Scots and, ironically, Henry VIII — the man responsible for the destruction of so many original brasses. Pnul ’Artlierton is o, correspondent for. the Herald and Lantern. Photos by Robert Shiles.

HOWEVER, THE brasses were not always protected and valued, and they became victims of the politics of the times that followed. Henry. VIII, during the period of English history known as. theDissolution of the Monastries, was responsible for the destruction of many thousands of brasses. At the outbreak of the English civil war, • many brasses were melted down and used for making weapons. And some of the brasses have

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