There are plenty of very good reasons why brass has been used in homes and lighting for two thousand years or so…
At Pooky, we’re a little obsessed with materials. We spend an inordinate amount of time seeking out the very best of them. Feeling, testing and experimenting, and asking: what can this material do that others can’t?
In this series, The Language of Materials, we take a closer look at the substances that shape the things we make, exploring their origins, their qualities and the long traditions of craft behind them.
Here’s our take on that most versatile and lighting-friendly metal, brass…
From brass tacks to top brass, the English language loves brass as metaphor but at Pooky, we also love the real thing. So much so that at the most recent count, brass featured in more than 800 of our lighting products. There are plenty of reasons why brass has been in use in homes and lighting for 2,000 years or so and why, despite shifting style trends, it remains as popular as ever. If old brass is tough, brass today is decidedly bold and versatile…polish it till it dazzles, let it age to a mellow patina, or brush it to a soft finish for a touch of contemporary understatement. Brass is a metal that brings a touch of warmth, wherever it goes.
The early years
It’s almost 50 years since Xerxes and others in Monty Python’s Life of Brian reminded Judean rebel leader Reg of what the Romans had given them, which included aqueducts and sanitation. A laudable list (and Reg wasn’t convinced) but it omitted brass. We can’t think why, as the Romans who were the first to produce brass in substantial quantities, were much taken with its rich, golden appearance.
An alloy of copper and zinc, they called it orichalcum and used it for household objects, architectural details, military decorations and coins. But its appeal was not limited to its appearance; brass was durable, practical, rust resistant, and unlike precious metals such as gold and silver, much cheaper to produce.
Brightening up the Middle Ages and Renaissance
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Medieval homes were lit by candles and oil lamps and brass (often referred to as yellow copper) was a perfect material for both and domestic brassware that reflected and enhanced lamplight and candlelight. From the 12th century onwards, copper beaters, as they were known, settled in the city of Dinant, in south-east Belgium’s Meuse valley. Brass candlesticks were prized, and brass lecterns and candelabra appeared in churches across Europe. Jan van Eyck’s 1434 Arnolfini Portrait features an eye-catching, elaborate brass candelabra, one of the signifiers of the couple’s wealth and status.
Brass found a natural home in the increasingly sophisticated interiors associated with the European Renaissance and was put to good decorative use in the form of cabinet fittings, chandeliers, door handles and mirrors.
Artists of the Dutch Golden Age frequently included brass household objects in their paintings: Vermeer’s Milkmaid (c.1657) depicts daylight falling on a wall-hung brass container. Jan van Steen placed a brass lantern in the forefront of Woman Scouring Metalware (1650-1660), which also has brass objects scattered across barrels and flooring. (Women cleaning brass and metalware, and much else, would become a pervading theme in European art in the succeeding centuries…)
Brass in its Georgian heyday
Eighteenth-century design favoured classical styles, proportion and symmetry, so it was no surprise that polished brass found a natural home in grand country houses and elegant town houses alike. Visitors could expect to be dazzled by fine brass candlesticks, entrance hall lanterns and wall sconces. Magnificent brass chandeliers were suspended over Georgian dining tables, enhancing the candlelight and creating a sense of occasion, warmth and welcome.
Brass and the impact of industrialisation
As we have seen so often in this series, the Industrial Revolution marked a hugely significant turning point. Although cheaper than precious metals, brass had always been relatively expensive. Machinery and mass production changed that completely and brass rapidly became a major feature of Victorian homes in the form of clocks, curtain poles, fireplaces, furniture mounts, and stair rods, as well as lighting. Because it was durable and easily produced, brass was also well placed to accommodate the advent of gas lighting; it proved ideal for elaborately decorated gas lamps and wall fittings.
Adapting from gas to electric lighting was an equally smooth journey for brass; its place in home lighting was assured.
(Of the 400 or so metal foundries still operating in the UK, only a few continue to use traditional handcrafted methods such as sand or lost wax casting. Most concentrate on heritage restoration, architectural metalwork, bespoke homeware and marine hardware. The Cornish Bed Company, for example, is the UK’s last foundry to hand cast traditional brass, iron and nickel bed frames.)
From Art Deco glamour to 21st century cool
Designers of the 1920s and ‘30s were equally happy to embrace brass, often pairing it with glass, marble or exotic woods. The once poorer relation of gold and silver now became a byword for luxury and sophistication. Geometric brass wall lamps and streamlined table lamps became synonymous with Art Deco: lighting styles that are as popular today as they were a century ago.
When mid-century modern designers opted for pared-down, simple shapes, free of decoration, brass adapted once again, finding a new home alongside teak, walnut and sculptural silhouettes. Original mid-century brass lighting now commands high prices…
Although chrome and stainless steel rose to prominence in the latter part of the 20th century, brass still had a place; designers recognised that a touch of brass, particularly in the form of lighting, could bring warmth to an otherwise austere space.
The versatility of brass means that it remains a firm favourite with today’s designers, who work across a range of styles from maximalism to minimalism, via the country house blend of luxury and comfort, to cottagecore, coastal and retro. Brass has rightly enjoyed a long successful journey from what was once a luxury material prized by wealthy Romans, to a household staple that is at home just about everywhere.
Pooky’s brass lighting: our way is your way
One of the best ways to create a welcoming home is with layered lighting. This is where brass is your friend, offering lighting for all seasons, all styles and all settings.
If you want to add overall illumination, for example above a dining table, you cannot go wrong with a brass chandelier, like Pooky’s Albafloss. It consists of six subtly undulating, fuss-free flattened brass wings: a contemporary take on a traditional style.
Brass wall lights add depth and balance to a sitting room or similar space where you are aiming for a sense of relaxation. Our Whizzer wall light would be a great addition to a space with an industrial or coastal vibe. Made of solid, gently antiqued brass, it combines pleasing details on the holder with a simple, stylishly elegant shade.
Table lamps are the ultimate moveable lighting feast: pop them on side tables, sideboards, hall tables, or bedside tables. Pooky’s smaller bamboozle table lamp in beautiful antiqued brass offers a more refined take on the trend, its slender bamboo-inspired stem lending warmth, texture and timeless elegance wherever it lands.
The Georgians loved their brass lanterns and so do we, whether they’re hanging in a hall, like the larger Luxor lantern adding a touch of grandeur to an entrance, or outdoors, like our new, rechargeable Stefan. Made of antiqued brass, Stefan is a fun, playful creation from the brilliant minds of Cortney and Bob Novogratz, founders of American design company, The Novogratz.
Take a look through Pooky’s fabulous brass lighting collection here.
See also:
The Language of Materials: Paper
The Language of Materials: Rattan and cane
The Language of Materials: Linen