The brass menagerie
Small cast animals: what they are, how they are made, how they age, and why people end up with more than one.
What is a tea pet, and how small brass animals reached Western desks
Tea pets began on Chinese tea trays. What they are, why most are clay, and how small cast brass animals ended up as desk objects in the West.
2 November 2026Starting a collection with one object, and how to group small things
Why one small object turns into three, how to group them so they read as a set rather than clutter, and where a collection stops working.
2 November 2026Small objects and a house move: what survives, and what to do about the rest
Packing small metal and ceramic objects for a move: what dents, what goes missing, which felt pads mark brass, and how to fix a bent leg.
2 November 2026How brass ages: tarnish, patina, and when to polish versus when to leave it
What tarnish is chemically, why a patina protects the metal under it, how to tell lacquered from bare brass, and why polishing is permanent.
2 November 2026Desk objects for people who dislike desk toys
The case for one heavy object on a desk instead of five light ones: what weight does for your papers, your hands and your attention.
2 November 2026Cast versus stamped brass, and how to judge a casting in the hand
Casting and stamping produce different objects. Use weight, mould lines, sprue scars and the detail in the recesses to tell what you are holding.
2 November 2026Brass versus bronze versus brass plated: what you are actually buying
Brass is copper and zinc, bronze is copper and tin, and brass plated is neither. The words sellers use, and four tests you can run at home.
2 November 2026