Introducing
Dave Read Originals

brass rubbings


England's churches house some of its greatest treasures - none more so than the monumental brasses chronicling some 500 years of History. Each casts a fleeting spotlight on bygone ages and lives - from humble clerics and wealthy merchants to the most powerful knights, nobles, and bishops. The best of these surviving brasses feature rich and detailed costume with a number surrounded by very ornate canopies and decorative devices.

Now, through an innovative partnership with a growing number of churches, you can commission Dave Read to create your own unique brass rubbing of exceptional quality that will be part of a very Limited Edition within each given year.

Simultaneously, you will be supporting the church where each rubbing is made as Dave Read Originals will be directly donating 20% of the full commission price.

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Every individual rubbing is taken from the original brass (not a facsimile) by Dave Read himself - a highly experienced practitioner who has made over 250 brass rubbings throughout the British Isles. No advance rubbing of any brass is made or kept - making your commission totally unique and part of a very Limited Edition within each year.

By way of a specific agreement with each church, the DRO portfolio of the finest brasses continues to grow with a current choice of 36 brasses.

These include Sir Robert de Bures (1331) ("The finest military brass in England") from Acton, Suffolk: Viscount and Countess Bourchier (1483) from Little Easton, Essex: Sir Roger de Trumpington (1289) from Trumpington, Cambridgeshire - and Sir Roger L'Estrange (1506) from Hunstanton, Norfolk. Dave Read has also been granted very rare permission to make rubbings of one of England's largest and most unusual brasses - commemorating Robert Braunche (1364) - from King's Lynn, Norfolk.

All commissions are made with silver wax and are hand-mounted with a further choice of coloured or neutral backgrounds. Dave Read uses a wax that is especially made for him - that when subsequently polished, gives a beautifully even metallic finish over the whole rubbing.

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