Hello, my name is Bill and am grateful to find your forum. Thanks to those that moderate the site and for your community. My mother was a lifelong member of the Episcopal church, and member of the choir wherever she lived. My father was a Methodist minister and graduated from the Drew University seminary. My mother, of course, attended there with him, but he passed away only 4 years following ordination. My uncle, who has also passed, was the Rev Edmund Olifiers who served his congregation for most of his life in Lindenhurst, New York. Somewhere between 1981 and 1983 my uncle travelled to the UK with members of his congregation, along with my aunt and mother. They toured Anglican historic sites for most of that trip. My mother returned with a rubbing that I possess now, but do not know where it is from or what meaning it may have had to her. I'm hoping someone in your community recognizes it and perhaps could give insight to its meaning and location. I realize that's a stretch, and wanted to share it with your community nonetheless. My hope that each of you are healthy and happy as one can be amidst the difficulties that 2020 presents. 8144B651-CCC2-4FA9-9185-308A9871E780 by W M, on Flickr
Hi Bill Welcome to Anglican Forums. The rubbing is beautiful. I did some brass rubbing in my younger days but unfortunately don't recognize yours. There are hundreds of monumental brasses throughout England and Wales. Often they depict noblemen/women, members of clergy etc but religious scenes such as yours can also be found. I have a list of monumental brasses in the UK and will look for entries regarding the BVM. It may be worth contacting the Monumental Brass Society with your inquiry. Contact details can be found in the following link: https://www.mbs-brasses.co.uk/contact
Here is what a search came up with. Hope it helps. Also welcome to Anglican Forums, hope you enjoy your time with us. Description This is a hand rubbing of a memorial engraved plaque. Marguerite de Scornay was Abbess of Nivelles from 1443-1460 - one of the most important abbeys in Belgium. She built the great gate of the abbey, and founded an annual mass, which this 'brass' was laid to commemorate. She had rights to administer justice and also mint coins. This panel, rubbed by me from an exhibition of plates presented by The London Brass Rubbing Centre while it held an exhibition of facsimilie plates and their rubbings at The Washington National Cathedral, was the survivor of three panels after the 1940's bombing. This panel shows the Abbess being presented by the Virgin Mary and child to St Margaret of Antioch, her patron saint, with a dragon, the saint's special symbol nearby. The four corners of this picture show the symbols of the apostles.. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/64986251/brass-rubbing-abbess-memorial-from . With such distinguished clerics among your ancestors you must surely be a child of the covenant. Have you, as an agnostic, been seeking hard enough? Prov.8:17, Jer. 29:13, Matt.11:29, John 10:9. .
Hi Bill welcome from the resident agnostic on this forum. Just a heads up, I clicked on your photo (not meaning to) and other flicker photo's came up. The two or three I looked at appeared to be cats and kids. There may be other stuff there you don't want people to see. I know nothing about flicker so maybe you want this to happen. Cheers
Thank you. I’m aware they’re public. I appreciate it. My Flickr is generally ignored on an internet scale but good fun for friends on small forums. There’s great stuff in there from India, family etc. When it comes to sharing, I have not a spirit of fear, but of love. People are decent wherever you go. I so much appreciate the detective work and wil research that Belgian piece. My mother loved it and I am so grateful to be able to pursue the origin. To my friend inquiring to my faith, and pursuit: I assure you that my reflection and immersion have been complete, and honest. My christianity is cultural. I honor it, and so there is nothing literal in my belief—but there is a respect for my origins and an understanding for the ethical nature of we humans without respect to religion. I will look at this again tomorrow and am so grateful for the welcome and the information on the rubbing.
I hope you won't feel offended, but the irony of your situation struck me as interesting. It seems to me that your christianity is somewhat like that bronze rubbing: a shadowy image extracted from the genuine article!
William Morris, thank you for sharing the photos of the important items on your fireplace mantle. And welcome to Anglican Forums -- a unique place. Cooper
Ha! Wonderful! That’s a perfect description. They didn’t go to Belgium on that trip, so I wonder if the work was replicated in more than one place
Many of the Cathedrals in the UK have shops in which such souvenir articles may be bought. If it's available on the internet it has probably been obtainable through Cathedral outlets as well. The rubbings might be available but I doubt that the brass itself is duplicated anywhere. Probably unique to Belgium .