All About Horse Brasses

By H. S. Richards

This vintage book contains a detailed guide to horse-brasses, first published in 1928. Horse brasses are decorative brass plaques used to adorn horses harnesses, most commonly shire and parade horses. From the mid-19th century they became incredibly popular, but experienced a significant decline in popularity along with that of the draft horse. Today, they exist predominantly as collectors items. “All About Horse Brasses” looks at the history of these beautiful equestrian adornment, as well as notable examples, producers, and more. This book is highly recommended for collectors and antiques dealers. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new introduction on horse brasses.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Mar 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9781446546185

Book preview

1948

HORSE BRASSES

Among the delightful fields of collecting, there is the most interesting one of searching for old brass amulets or face pieces which are, or used to be, worn by horses, and of which there are quite twelve hundred different designs in existence.

The collecting of these amulets is a most interesting, instructive, and inexpensive hobby. Both in town and in country the searcher will find many quaint specimens of these ancient survivals of superstition and local history, in old farm houses, cottages, inns, and in antiques and saddlers’ shops.

These brasses have a decorative charm as well as intrinsic value.

The earliest types are of the plain circular or crescent shapes, followed by the very many geometrical designs, based on the rays of the sun, lily and lotus flowers, triangles, cubes and such. It is not proposed to make further reference to this type showing Greek and Egyptian influence, but rather to the more interesting figure subject brasses, many of which give very definite ideas of dates and even the locality in which they and their owners originated. Almost every design tells its own particular story.

There are many designs that cannot be here defined and any information concerning same will be welcomed by the author, also details of any unusual brasses that are not illustrated in this book. (The numerous illustrations and notes thereon will give concise information upon particular specimens.)

The origin of these interesting ornaments is found in the ancient belief in the