Dinant brasswork in the choir
Look at the large brass objects in the choir. This alloy of copper and zinc brought Dinant wealth and renown for centuries. Its golden gleam, reminiscent of gold, made it particularly prized for liturgical objects.
From the Middle Ages onwards, Dinant’s craftsmen excelled at working it. Their products were exported so successfully across Europe that the town’s name eventually came to designate this craft: dinanderie.
Two techniques were used. Brass could be cast in a mould: look at the great candlesticks, assembled from several cast elements. It could also be hammered into thin sheets, as with the altar and ambos. Two very different techniques that reveal the full richness of Dinant’s brassworkers’ craft.