Not currently on display at the V&A

John Pyke in friar's habit

Brass Rubbing
ca. 1440 (made), second quarter 20th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Monumental brasses are commemorative plaques that served as effigies and were most commonly found in churches. The earliest examples come from the thirteenth century but they were popular up until the seventeenth century and then again in the Victorian Gothic Revival. Surviving brasses from the medieval period are limited due to the turbulent history of the Church but they do survive in considerable numbers in the East of England, Germany and Flanders. Made from an alloy of copper and zinc, a material known as latten, they were laid into church floors and walls. Monumental brasses are historically and stylistically significant because they record dress, architecture, armoury, heraldry (coats of arms and insignia) and palaeography (handwriting) in a dated object. In addition they tell the story of memorial and patronage.

The practice of recording brasses through a process of rubbing originates from the Victorian Gothic Revival. An early method of pouring printer’s ink into engraved lines and then placing damp tissue paper over the brass was replaced around the mid-nineteenth century with the more effective technique of using black shoemaker’s wax, known as heel ball. Brass rubbing continued to be a popular hobby into the twentieth century before the process was understood to cause damage to the brasses.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleJohn Pyke in friar's habit (generic title)
Materials and techniques
wax rubbing of monumental brass on paper
Brief description
Rubbing of an effigy and inscription from the brass of John Pyke in a friar's habit, ca. 1440, Denham Church, Buckinghamshire
Physical description
Rubbing of the effigy of John Pyke, depicted in a friar's habit with a cord visibly hanging from his waist. At the base of the effigy is an inscription, largely illegible. The effigy and inscription are encased in a solid border.
Dimensions
  • Height: 571.5mm (From original accession record)
  • Width: 438.15mm (From original accession record)
Dimensions taken from the Print Room's Print Catalogue and converted from inches.
Credit line
Given by Mrs E.R.M. Morris
Object history
Rubbing taken at Denham Church, Buckinghamshire and given by Mrs E. R. M. Morris. The original brass is a palimpsest, on the obverse the brass shows the effigy and inscription of Amphillis Peckham, 1545.
Association
Summary
Monumental brasses are commemorative plaques that served as effigies and were most commonly found in churches. The earliest examples come from the thirteenth century but they were popular up until the seventeenth century and then again in the Victorian Gothic Revival. Surviving brasses from the medieval period are limited due to the turbulent history of the Church but they do survive in considerable numbers in the East of England, Germany and Flanders. Made from an alloy of copper and zinc, a material known as latten, they were laid into church floors and walls. Monumental brasses are historically and stylistically significant because they record dress, architecture, armoury, heraldry (coats of arms and insignia) and palaeography (handwriting) in a dated object. In addition they tell the story of memorial and patronage.

The practice of recording brasses through a process of rubbing originates from the Victorian Gothic Revival. An early method of pouring printer’s ink into engraved lines and then placing damp tissue paper over the brass was replaced around the mid-nineteenth century with the more effective technique of using black shoemaker’s wax, known as heel ball. Brass rubbing continued to be a popular hobby into the twentieth century before the process was understood to cause damage to the brasses.
Bibliographic references
  • Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings Accessions 1950, London, 1962.
  • Stephenson, Mill. A List of Monumental Brasses in the British Isles. London, 1926 and Appendix, 1938.
  • V&A Print Room's Print Catalogue: BRASS RUBBINGS CATALOGUE 1435-1500, 1991
Collection
Accession number
E.2-1950

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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