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Catalogue of ‘Antique Brassfoundry’
Reproduction brassware poses problems of identification and often causes confusion amongst collectors, dealers, auctioneers and curators, the more so as time passes and the objects show genuine signs of wear and tear.
Jewsbury & Co began manufacturing and trading in Birmingham, UK in 1882 and soon established themselves as a leading force in the ‘antique brassfoundry’ trade. Surprisingly, they produced few catalogues and those that are known are not dated. The catalogue reproduced here dates from c.1927: it has no title page as this was often removed by the retailer to protect his source of material. Items in the catalogue were numbered; no descriptions were offered. The covering letter (right) from a retailer to a customer indicates how items were ordered.
As can be seen, many familiar brass items fill its pages, although most are fanciful rather than straight copies of period pieces. Nevertheless, it is worth checking this catalogue before assigning a date or description to an item which appears to be of early date. Jewsbury & Co took over the Pearson-Page company in 1932-3: further details of these companies and their products can be found at:
Smaldon, G., 2016. The Problem of Reproduction Brassware: John Jewsbury and Pearson-Page. J. Antique Metalware Soc., 24, pp.36 – 41
