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The Horowitz Collection of Rubbings and Monumental Brasses of England

In the year 2000, Mark Horowitz gifted 30 rubbings to the Spurlock Museum. This wonderful collection, created by the Horowitz family, was taken from brass slabs placed over the graves or altar tombs in the churches of England. Made in memory of the deceased, the slabs were incised with the image of knights, ladies, churchmen, and others, creating a fascinating record of those who lived during the late 1300s to early 1700s.

A few of the Horowitz rubbings can be viewed in the Spurlock's Simonds Pyatt Gallery of European Culture. For more information also see the collection catalogue, The Monumental Brasses of England none by Mark Horowitz, 2002.

Sir Roger de Trumpington, 1289, Trumpington, Cambridgeshire
Sir Roger de Trumpington was a knight who fought for King Henry III in the civil war between the king and the barons in 1265. He wears armor and holds a shield with his heraldry of trumpets. Behind his head is a tilting helmet used in tournaments and his feet rest on a dog, possibly a symbol of loyalty. It has been speculated that his crossed legs refer either to his participation in a crusade or his being a church benefactor.
1997.05.0002

Robert Beauner, c. 1460, St. Albans, Hertfordshire
Robert Beauner is represented in the attire of a Benedictine monk. The bleeding heart held in his hands may represent Christ and salvation. Few monumental brasses depicting monks remain after King Henry VIII's dissolution of the English monasteries in the 1350s.
1997.05.0015

William Robins, Catherine, and children, 1482, St. Albans, Hertforshire
This rubbing represents William Robins, a clerk of the signet to King Edward IV, he would have written the letters to be signed by the king with a wax seal and signet ring. Although dressed in the style of armor popular during this period, he probably never fought in battle. His wife is also fashionably dressed with veiled headdress and a fur-lined dress. Below their feet, the small figures represent their nine children.
1997.05.0018