Replicas.
In conclusion, it may be pointed out that there is no branch of curio collecting which has such a close and intimate touch with modern art as that of copper and brass. The tools with which the ancient coppersmiths wrought and fashioned their most beautiful works are still used by the coppersmiths of to-day, for although in the eyes of some the traces of machine-stamped or pressed ornament in the so-called reproductions of the antiques are noticeable blemishes, there are few distinguishing marks between the old and the new. Those modern artists who specialize in providing those who furnish their houses in antique style with replicas of the domestic copper-work of a century or two ago, are very careful to produce their "modern antique" by the use of tools which produce precisely similar effects to the hammered-by-hand copper-work of days gone by. In the production of such work the repoussé enrichments are wrought by hand, the anvil still holding sway in the modern coppersmith's shop. Rarely is soldering used, the parts being riveted together. In many cases although jardinieres and other vessels have the appearance of being cast in a mould they are really hollowed up under the rim by hammer and block, and are without seam or joining. They are fashioned exactly the same way as the beaten work of old. Collectors may be warned against these modern reproductions in that they should be careful to pay a modern price for a modern antique.
The styles reproduced are chiefly those of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, particularly those of the Elizabethan and Cromwellian periods. Thus electroliers are made to match antique furniture, the difference being that instead of holding electric bulbs the antique would have been fashioned for candles or oil lamps. Many of the modern reproductions of copper panels used for letting into mantelpieces are designs, carefully copied, taken from old baronial halls. The very grates of ormolu and brass and the canopies of hammered copper and brass are being made to-day by the same firms who manufactured the metal-work designed by the Adam Brothers, and who in the eighteenth century had already become famous as makers of coal stoves and hob-grates. Then, again, in the utilitarian reproductions of to-day there are the copper and brass fender kerbs, reproducing the eighteenth-century fenders without their bottom plates, and for use with them the modern manufacturer makes fire-dogs and fire-brasses of antique styles. Even the builder's brasswork for ornamenting the interiors of houses, such as finger-plates and door handles, are exact copies of the old door-plates and lock-plates found on doors and cupboards in existing houses built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and in their designs and processes of manufacture it is difficult to distinguish the genuine antique from the modern replica. Again, the buyer of such things is warned against the unscrupulous dealer who fills his windows with brass and copper-work, almost hot from the Birmingham foundry, and labels it "Antique." Not long ago some of the shop windows were filled with chestnut roasters in brass, with beautifully designed trivets, with door knockers innumerable, and with even pipe-stoppers and tobacco-boxes, all quite recently made in the Black Country. Yet all these objects, sold as modern by the honest dealer, have been and are still not infrequently palmed off as antique, for they have the finish which age in former years was wont to impart, and in design and style they are correct reproductions of the genuine antique.
The collection of metal has a peculiar charm, for the objects are so numerous and the different alloys produce such a pleasing variety of colour and appearance. The value of such curios is now more fully recognized than formerly, for greater prominence is being given to them in museums, where in those which have been re-arranged recently such objects may be seen with labels on which their uses are fully described and explained.
XX
WRINKLES
FOR
COLLECTORS
CHAPTER XX
WRINKLES FOR COLLECTORS
Cleaning copper and brass—Lacquering metal—Polishing brass—Restoring antique finishes—Using the burnisher—Brass rubbings.
The collector has frequently to decide whether he will entrust the repair of some much battered curio to a local workman or undertake the rôle of an amateur worker and repairer of copper or brass. There are many who prefer the latter course; unless the antique needs expert skill, and then, if a valuable specimen, it should be sent to one whose professional knowledge will enable him to carry out its restoration without injury. There are, however, many minor matters which, with a few simple tools, and recipes which can be prepared quite easily, the collector can very satisfactorily accomplish.
Before attempting to clean or repair old copper and brass curios or those objects which are made all or in part of either of them or of any of their alloys, it is well to know something of the constituents of the metals usually met with. First on the list comes ancient bronzes composed mainly of copper and tin on no accepted formula, but generally in the proportion of about three to one. Modern statuary bronze is made in several proportions; one compound is given by an authority as copper, 83 parts; tin, 5 parts; zinc, 10 parts; and lead, 2 parts; and by another as copper, 91 parts; tin, 9 parts. Bronze ornaments are mostly copper, 80 parts; tin, 3 parts; zinc, 15 parts; and lead, 2 parts. Gongs are of copper, 80 parts; and tin, 20 parts—some Oriental alloys have a little silver added. The ormolu of the brassfounder, used extensively by French metal-workers, has more copper and less zinc than brass. Red brass consists of copper, 25 parts; zinc, 5 parts; and bismuth, 1 part. Yellow brass is made of copper, 35 parts; and zinc, 15 parts. Pinchbeck metal, of which watchcases and jewellery have been made, consists of copper, 10 parts; and of zinc, 2 parts. Antimony imparts a rich red to copper.
In the following paragraphs some very useful "wrinkles" are given: