At Ipswich Museum we did brass rubbings. David Jones who is the Keeper of Human History showed us how to do it. First you get your brass. There were lots of different pictures and sizes to choose from, such as unicorns, lions and people. Then you put a piece of paper over the top and rub over it with a wax crayon.

This is a Tudor brass that you could see in the Tudor Gallery. It is a picture of a lady and a priest with children at her feet. The lady has a rosary in her hand. You use it to count the number of times you have prayed. In Tudor pictures people are small if they are less important. Children were not very important in Tudor times, that is why the children are so small in this brass. They had to curtsey and bow when they met an adult.

Brass rubbing of a lady praying.

Brass rubbing of a unicorn.

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