Gravestone Rubbings

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 A month or so ago while out on an adventure with my friend, Lisa, we happened upon a thrift store where I came across what turned out to be a gravestone rubbing.



 I'm always on the hunt for vintage religious items for my Mom so naturally I was immediately drawn to what I thought was Father Junipero Serra, who founded the California Missions.  If you studied California history like I did in the 4th Grade I think you will agree that there is quite a resemblance to the monk on this gravestone rubbing.




I had never seen a gravestone rubbing before...   Lisa knew exactly what it was!  All I know is that I love it!  Have any of you ever taken a rubbing and if so do you still have it or display it?

Comments

jeanette from everton terrace said…
I HAVE done gravestone rubbings but they were not nearly this nice. My friend and I kind of "snuck" into the back section (restricted) of a cathedral in Poland with big sheets of paper and chalks. We worked quickly, I'm not proud of my criminal activity. I thought they were fabulous but they are so hack compared to this one. I have no idea whatever happened to them.
October 14, 2010 at 12:44 PM
Unknown said…
I have done them but gave them away to friends. they are nice framed as they make a bold statement. quirkfarms
October 14, 2010 at 12:51 PM
La Dolfina said…
Hi Donald! So nice to see you here. Welcome!
October 14, 2010 at 12:57 PM
sharon santoni at my french country home said…
Wow, gravestone rubbings! I had forgotten about them ... yes, I did some when a teenager, or al least brass rubbings in churches. Quite a pleasing technique if I remember rightly.

Thanks for stopping by, we'll end up doing some of these things together, I'm pretty certain of that!

Sharon
October 14, 2010 at 1:20 PM
Beach House Living said…
Lots of old interesting headstones should be around these parts. A number of civil war battles were fought here.
October 14, 2010 at 1:43 PM
ArchitectDesign™ said…
I had a friend who had 2 of them from westminster abbey that he had done years before. However -he did them on black paper with copper crayon and they were just magnificent -looked like copper panels! He had them beautifully framed on either side of his fireplace.
October 14, 2010 at 2:01 PM
A Perfect Gray said…
love this one! I did one years ago and kept it a little while....
October 14, 2010 at 2:11 PM
vignette design said…
I have heard of gravestone rubbings, but have never seen one. Yours does look like Father Junipero Serra. Of course Lisa knew exactly what it was! haha. We have a pioneer cemetary in Cloverdale and I'm wondering about whether to try this....hmmm. You always get me thinking Terri! ~Delores
October 14, 2010 at 3:44 PM
An Urban Cottage said…
I've seen people doing it in the old burial ground in Boston but I've never seen one this nice. It's interesting that the rubbing carefully stops at the edges of the silhouette. I love old religious things. It helps me get in touch with inner nun!
October 14, 2010 at 4:03 PM
Avondale Bungalow said…
Terri, My mother had two very similar images she did on black paper with gold crayon in England, I think, years ago. I think they were brass rubbings from a church. They were about 40" high and stunning. (I'll have to investigate which sibling or grandchild got them!)
I did a tombstone rubbing in Weatherford, TX, (just west of Fort Worth)a couple of years ago of one of the cowboys of Lonesome Dove fame. It was a present for my SO's boss, who was a huge Texas history buff. He loved it and framed it in his office.
Many years ago, one of our local museums sponsored a traveling show of brass reliefs and you could go and for a fee get supplies and make as many rubbings as you liked. Have no idea what happened to the ones I made.
October 14, 2010 at 4:25 PM
Pamela Hunt Lee said…
I have done rubbings, but not over gravestones. I have rubbed over dead fish (I know it sounds crazy, but the results are fabulous), over rocks, and over cracked concrete. Have crayon will travel.... Your 'find' is fabulously precise.
October 14, 2010 at 5:02 PM
Nita Stacy said…
I've heard of these but never seen one. I never imagined they could look this fabulous. Great find.
October 14, 2010 at 6:40 PM
Unknown said…
This is totally new to me! But, I can see why you were drawn to it. It's a beautiful image! xo Elizabeth
October 14, 2010 at 6:46 PM
French-Kissed said…
I just recently learned of these myself. A new client is from England and he has a gorgeous one of a man and woman side by side from the 1600s. His parents are both architects and him mom would take he and his siblings around when they were kids to do the rubbings. Absolutely fascinating. I'll probably show it in an upcoming post. They used something akin to black shoe polish. He had it in a long hallway and I moved it to the library.

~jermaine
October 14, 2010 at 8:35 PM
Cristin // Simplified Bee said…
So I learned something new today... I had never heard of this.
October 14, 2010 at 8:57 PM
Anonymous said…
It's a very English thing, and usually free too, though some enterprising churches supply paper and crayon for a fee.
October 15, 2010 at 12:28 AM
Unknown said…
These are so cool, we used to do them when I was little! Gorgeous! XX!
October 15, 2010 at 5:09 AM
Megan said…
I love this and at a thrift store, what a find! I would love to be so lucky! Did you give it to your mom or are you selling it?

Meg

1funkywoman
October 15, 2010 at 6:04 AM
FrenchBlue said…
I never heard of these! How special! Such A treasure!!
October 15, 2010 at 8:27 AM
Privet and Holly said…
I've heard of them,
but never seen one.
Some grave stones
are works of art,
so it makes sense : )
Thanks for the lesson,
sweet friend!
xx Suzanne
October 15, 2010 at 11:06 AM
Blooming Rose Musings said…
The town where I grew up had an old
pre-revolutionary war cemetary and people would come from all over the world to do rubbings. They even featured it on an episode of Law & Order. When I was a kid we did several rubbings but I haven't a clue where they are now.
I'm so looking forward to us getting together one of these days soon.
October 15, 2010 at 11:45 AM
swedecollection said…
Hi, they are not all gravestones. The term is just "rubbings" and sometimes "brass rubbings". Any ornamentation with relief from the surface can be used, even manhole covers. They need to be fairly flat and the details close together whereas gravestones aren't necessarily good for that. Some are brass plaques or upright pieces on buildings.
When I lived in California in the early 1980's a company who owned some really great ones brought them to San Diego at a mall and you could go there and pay a fee to rub one onto black paper with gold chalk. I did a large lady with a dog at her feet and framed it. Still have it and I did one for my sister.
October 15, 2010 at 12:46 PM
Cashon&Co said…
i did rubbings all the time in College, as our University was next door to an old historic Texas cemetery. They didn't have any like this though!
October 16, 2010 at 9:07 AM
Jemsmom said…
They have a station set up in England at the church St. Martin in the Fields for brass rubbings that are like the gravestone rubbings. I did it several years ago and have yet to hang it up. I need to do it though! I love it!
November 3, 2010 at 6:51 PM
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