The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1910-07-14
DINANDERIES.
Beautiful Brass Work For Which an
Old French Town is Famous.

Ola french Town Is FAMOUS.
Few visitors to the quaint old town
of Dinant-sur-Meus can have failed
to be struck by the number of shops
devoted to beautiful brass and copper
work, locally known as "dinander-
les" In. the early Middle Ages that
work formed one of the staple trades
of Dinant and Of the town of Bouvig-
mes on the opposite bank Of the
Meuse.
During the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries, however, the fierce wars
that ragged around Dinant did much
harm to, the trade, and after the town
was sacked in 1854 the copper and
brass manufactures fell into mort
bund condition.
Only the coarser kinds OF work
nanship continued to be done, and
these in their turn were discontinued
entirely in the seventeenth century.
1t is only Of late years that the trade
has been revived and Dinant become
once more the scene of a small cop
per industry.
The term dinanderie is applied to
an article constructed of thin shee:
Of any kind Of metal excepting gold,
silver and platinum which is made
by hand and ornamented with chased,
hammered or EN- bossed work. It is
allowable to cast any separate orna-
raents that are to, be added to the de-
Sign, says. the Queen, otherwise the
article must be hand made.
! Genuine old dinanderie is quite as
rare as any other much sought, long
past art, but to satisfy the hunger of
the collectors soul much antique"
brass and copper is manufactured
and appears soon after its birth in a
fair state of hoary antiquity, it's chas-
ing judiciously rubbed Aewn and the
ancient coloring obtained by decent
burial in the ground,
The visitor is decidedly we'll ad-
vlsed who relinQuishes doubtful an
tiquity for one of the beautiful mod
ern pieces, many Of which are copies
Of the authentic ancient specimens to
be found in museums or scattered
throughout the churches, in which
much good work will be found. The
articles manufactured are most va
ried, including pieces for religious
and household use, caskets of every
size and form. reproductions of lace
makers lamps and statuettes in
quaint medieval garb.
- 5fes
tfict and easily accessible from Dr.
nhnt there may still be found among
the cottages some really old brass
pieces of the commoner household,
sort, such as the enormous jugs used
fer milk and the beautifully chased
and embossed warming pans. I'm.
happily for the purchaser of r1oder-
ate means, 2 the cottagefs are only too.
we'll aware ofathe4v value Of their pos
sessions, and where a few years ago,
iawas possible to buy a warming pan
efquisitely worked for the. absurd
sam of FIVE francs it is useless to-day
I'd offer less than twenty-five for a
Very ordinary specimen.
THE large cakes of mixed honey
AID -four to be seen in every. bakers
shop in Dinant are connected with
the brass trade in q very curious way.
The wonderful shapes into which
these cakes are. fashioned, fish,
herses. serpents, scenes and represent
tations of peasant lie and Of legend,
e reproductions Of the patterns of
ne old dinanderie. The fine reposse
pdrtraits and heads of saints worked
OF dull brass backgrounds require
the greatest patience, but when fin
ished few will deny their exti.aordi-
nary artistic merit.