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jbcherry - Friday 5 February 2016 16:23
Interesting, not stamped, either cast from a crude pattern or "hand cut" from a very rough piece of sheet metal.
jbcherry - Friday 5 February 2016 16:16
This is the same brass as in picture 5714
jbcherry - Friday 5 February 2016 16:13
I suspect this is "hand cut" rather than stamped
Jamesblair - Friday 22 January 2016 02:01
Interesting - I have not seen a white metal Royalty before. My own research into white metal brasses indicates that they had a variety of uses: in coastal areas where they were more resistant to salt air than yellow brass; some canal boatmen favoured them, and Gypsies preferred white metal harness decorations. It is said that they were easier to keep clean than brass where the harness was almost permanently exposed to the elements.
jbcherry - Thursday 21 January 2016 09:48
Seeing this I think I will have to extend my definition of "hand cut" to "those brasses that have been cut from sheet by saw, drill, file OR CHISEL, without the use of casting or press tools. :)
jbcherry - Monday 18 January 2016 20:32
James
You are quit right, most decent brasses will have received some fettling and finishing "by hand". I think the term "hand cut" or "tinker" should be kept for just those brasses that have been cut from sheet by saw, drill and file, without the use of casting or press tools. There will always be problems imposing an artificial order on something as diverse as horse brasses, not least the case of royalty and award brasses where a cast emblem is attached to a stamped back plate!
John
Jamesblair - Monday 18 January 2016 01:12
Jbcherry I do now see your point, and I agree that it is wrong to ascribe an item to a particular origin simply because it is hand made. Arguably, many brasses could be considered "hand made" in a sense, because both cast and stamped versions were often finished by hand.
Jamesblair - Monday 18 January 2016 00:34
I have had this brass for over 10 years and not sure of its date; any ideas please?
Jamesblair - Monday 18 January 2016 00:31
a good quality example of this pattern. The motif of the running horse was very commonly used on the crown boards of bow top gypsy waggons. I think this brass dates from the 1920's - 1930's but would welcome opinions on the date.
Jamesblair - Monday 18 January 2016 00:21
This pattern, in white metal, was very typical of Gypsy van harness. Gypsies did not usually favour hanging brasses on their harness; it was usually decorated with studs, metal keepers, and horseshoe buckles, nearly always in white metal, and with these plain but elegant rosettes on the top of the bridle and often also as a face piece. They used white metal because it was easier to keep clean and looked better with the red patent leather decoration on the straps.