Between the 13th and 17th centuries, Western Europe was introduced to new funerary art in church tombs and cemeteries. Traditional statue memorials were replaced with large flat brass plaques, decorated with heraldic and religious icons, such as ladies, knights, and coats of arms. Reproducing these commemorative plates by rubbing graphite or wax on light kraft paper has become known as brass rubbing. The Centre's collection comprises 109 of these rubbings, donated by Professor Emeritus David Townsend (CMS / English), and by Professor Emerita Ann Hutchison (York University / PIMS / CMS) through her colleague Professor Emerita Cynthia Zimmerman (York University).
Faculty of Information Students, Amy Bridges and Jordan St Augustine, researched and catalogued the collection, culminating in an online exhibit and research site. View the demonstration of their incredible work, Life After Death: Brass Rubbings, hosted by the University of Toronto Libraries, and read about their process in the April MMXXV Chronica (pp 5-7).