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Horse brasses were fastened to various parts of the horse’s harness, and a horse could wear up to three hundred at a time. This brass is in the form of a crescent symbol of the Moon Goddess, which was believed to be the most powerful protection against the evil eye and against witches. An eight pointed star is set inside the crescent. The crescent moon with its points upwards was believed to be a protection against fire, and one with its points downwards, protection against water. The star and the crescent was the symbol of the Byzantine Emperors. It was acquired by the donor in Somerset.

1 brass: metal; good condition

MERL 'Catalogue index' card – [51/280] – 'Horse brasses almost certainly began as amulets to ward off evil and to bring good luck, but they continued as festive decoration long after their origin had been forgotten. In England the earliest horse ornaments made of brass date from the reign of Elizabeth when they were made entirely by hand from sheet metal. The heyday of horse brasses was between the years 1851 and 1900 when they were cast. Horse brasses are fastened to various parts of the harness, to face pieces, to martingales and to side pieces. A horse may wear as many as three hundred brasses, though when they are more numerous the smallest are little more than studs. Many horse brasses are symbolic. // This brass is in the form of a crescent, symbol of the Moon Goddess, which was believed to be the most powerful protection against the evil eye and against witches. An eight pointed star is set inside the crescent. The crescent moon with its points upwards was believed to be a protection against fire, and one with its points downwards, protection against water. The star and the crescent was the symbol of the Byzantine Emperors.', MERL ‘Associated information’ form – ‘Name of Object: Horse brass // Age…: various - probably 19th Cen. // Name and address of present owner: [...] Rusthall Tunbridge Wells // Description of use to which it was put…: 8 unmounted brasses - 4 on leathers - 1 swinging head piece with foot plate added for convenience of standing. I believe the head of King Edward VII is the latest of the brasses studded leather to which it is attached considerably older. Bought in Somerset 15 to 30 years ago mainly at Minehead’, Object research project, John Masters, January 2020 – 'How can this object be described? // A decorative metal (brass) symbol with an eight-pointed star inside a crescent pointing upwards. // What was it used for? // Horse brasses were fastened to various parts of the horse’s harness, and a horse could wear up to three hundred at a time. Originally horse brasses began as charms or amulets to ward off evil and to bring good luck, but they continued as festive decoration long after their original use had been forgotten. Horse brasses are fastened to various parts of the harness, to face pieces, to martingales and to side pieces. (A martingale is part of the horse’s harness from the collar and between the front legs that is used to control head carriage). A typical set of horse brasses on a horse is ten or twelve but many more can be worn - up to as many as three hundred brasses, though when they are more numerous the smallest are little more than studs. // This brass is in the form of a crescent, symbol of the Moon Goddess, which was believed to be the most powerful protection against the evil eye and against witches. An eight-pointed star is set inside the crescent. The crescent moon with its points upwards was believed to be a protection against fire, and one with its points downwards, protection against water. The star and the crescent combined together was the symbol of the Byzantine Emperors. // How long have horse brasses been used? // During the Iron Age bronze decorations were used on horses and in Ancient Rome they used pairs of bronze disks or crescents known as phalorae. Metal decorations were used on horses in medieval Britain as talismen or status symbols. In England the earliest horse ornaments made of brass date from the reign of Elizabeth I when they were made entirely by hand from sheet metal. // The pendant type horse brass, as we know it today, was introduced into this country as recently as the 18th Century. One theory is that they were introduced by an influx of Romanies who arrived in Britain about that time. The Romany people were a superstitious race and it was very probable that they decorated the foreheads of their horses to protect them from evil. Not only did they have a motive for such decoration, they also had the necessary skills of working in metal to produce the horse brasses. // The heyday of horse brasses coincided with the heyday of the heavy horse in Britain between the years 1851 and 1914, when the horse brasses were made of cast brass. Hundreds of factories, from the largest down to the one-man business, started to produce these horse brasses. Over 2,000 different designs of horse brasses are believed to exist, though some of the differences in the patterns are very slight — probably where manufacturers copied popular designs of their rivals. // Which other objects in the MERL collection relate to the Horse Brass? // Horse Brass- Fly Terret 51/288 // A fly terret or swinger was used as an alternative head ornament to head bells and plume, alongside other horse brasses. It consists of one or more disks of polished brass swinging in brass rings. The disks were frequently replicas in miniature of the larger brasses elsewhere on the horse. // Horse brasses on martingale. 51/99 // This breast strap, or martingale, from a horse harness comes from Beckford in Gloucestershire. It is made of leather and has five brasses attached to it. On a cart horse the breast strap is purely decorative. It hangs from the collar, between the horses’ forelegs, to the girth. // Horse brass- face piece – 41/270 // This brass would hang from the bridle between the blinkers, is circular and heavily perforated, with a small six-pointed star in the centre. // What designs are used on brasses? // The earliest designs were symbols and shapes which had specific meanings to ward off the evil and to bring good luck. The crescent moon and star design shown on this 19th century horse brass was also popular two thousand years ago. // British horse brass designs have included: bull’s head with horns, and the horse, either rampant or passant. Clubs, hearts, diamonds and spades in their turn have all been employed on brasses. Only occasionally are crosses used on brasses unless they are of relatively modern make. // Horse brass 58/45 // In the 19th century brasses began to portray more obvious designs and represent current subjects and events, often grouped together on leather straps to tell a “story” about the owner or his trade. Farmers would use agricultural designs like a tree, an owl or barnyard fowl. Some brasses would illustrate various trades with designs showing churns, barrels and even railway engines. Wealthy families or the titled gentry would show their family crest on the brasses, or heraldic devices like a bear, lion, unicorn or elephant. An owner who enjoyed hunting may show stags, foxes or hounds on his brasses. Awards at agricultural shows were sometimes given as horse brasses, and brasses were also used to commemorate important events like Coronations. // Collecting horse brasses. // Collecting horse brasses was very popular in late Victorian times. The enormous variety of designs provided great interest and often the brasses were made into useful objects like pin cushions and door finger plates. The hobby of collecting brasses continues today, although much less popular than in the 19th century, and small collections of horse brasses are still displayed alongside the fireplace in some old public houses.'

1800-01-01 - 1899-12-31

Nineteenth century