Details: Pair of life size Sir Robert de Bures & Sir William de Setvans Brass brass grave rubbings made with a gold heelball on black paper produced specifically for brass rubbing by an English woman who had a brass rubbings company in Canada. Brass rubbings are done by stretching a linen rag paper over the deeply etched monumental brass that is usually found at the gravesite. After securing the paper, heelball (a very hard wax) is rubbed vigorously over the paper surface to get an exact copy of the brass plate. A single rubbing can take from 2 hours to 2 days to complete depending in it's size, condition, and complexity.
The original brass of Sir Robert is the third oldest military brass in England, and has the reputation of being the finest military brass in existence, and ranks as the finest product of medieval craftsmen. Sir Robert is shown wearing a close-fitting cap of mail continuous with a shirt of mail (hauberk) with mittens attached. His hose were also made of chain mail over which at the knees were knee cops of (poleyns) of cuir bouilli (boiled leather that is beautifully decorated.) Over his suit of mail, he is wearing a sleeveless linen tunic that is split partway up the front and back to make riding easier. The plain surcoat is tied at the waist, together with a sword belt with plaited hanger, very typical of the time. The “bures” on his shield are a pun on his name. Puns were beloved by the heraldry. The metal that was used to form his shield is different than the rest of the brass. It has been suggested that perhaps the memorial was made for someone else and the shield was added later?
Sir William De Setvan is buried in Chartham, Kent, Great Britain. Sir William was Sheriff for Kent and Constable of Canterbury Castle in 1320-21, when he left for a military campaign against the Scots in 1322 and died shortly afterward.
He is depicted wearing a padded garment called an aketon under his shirt of mail to absorb the shock of blows. The piece is rare in that it shows ailettes, small shields hung at right angles to the shoulders to protect him from glancing blows. A surcoat, tied at the waist, harnesses his device of winnowing fans.
Dimensions: 27.5"w x .75"d x 80.5"h (each)
Condition: The rubbings have very plain frames that were removed to avoid reflection from the plexiglass covers and can be included if requested for an extra shipping charge. Currently, they are mounted on foam board and we recommend having them professionally framed under glass to smooth the wrinkles in the paper out.