Brass cantle for formal sporran?

[MacRobert's Reply]

If you can purchase one of these rare and very desirable sporrans at a good price FossilHunter, I would not hesitate! I know of only two originals and one copy.

[FossilHunter]

If you can purchase one of these rare and very desirable sporrans at a good price FossilHunter, I would not hesitate! I know of only two originals and one copy.

Sorry I meant it was similar in that the cantle was brass and had a somewhat similar body shape.

I missed out on it though. Such is life.

[OC Richard]

I don’t see it very often but occasionally I see fur sporrans for sale with brass cantled. Some are vintage so it doesn’t seem to be a new development.

How do folks feel about brass as a substitute for white metal in a dress sporran?

Now just talking about our 'traditional civilian Highland Dress' as it appeared in the early 20th century, "fur" does not equate to "dress".

Evening Dress sporrans and Day Dress sporrans both can have fur (generally sealskin). A Day Dress sporran with fur isn't any more formal than a Day Dress sporran without fur.

The main distinction between Evening Dress sporrans and Day Dress sporrans is that Evening Dress sporrans are fur with a silver top, while Day Dress sporrans are constructed out of leather (in the first half of the 20th century nearly always brown, usually pigskin) with or without added fur.

Generally Day Dress sporrans lacked metal altogether, but reproduction 18th century sporrans were popular, with a functional opening brass top and deerskin body. These were considered Day Dress sporrans, from the old opinions I have read.

So, in that strictly codified Evening/Day dichotomy no, one would not have normally worn a brass-topped sporran in Evening Dress. That being said, I don't think brass (or at least gilt) was considered any less "dressy" than silver, which I base on military usage: Levee Dress sporrans and Full Dress sporrans might be gilt or silver.

Anyhow to get a feel for the tradition as it was in the 1930s here's an old catalogue. Note the top-left sporran has a brass cantle yet is considered an Evening Dress sporran.



Here are the Day Dress sporrans from the same catalogue, all brown, some with fur. There are two reproduction 18th century sporrans with brass tops, two Hunting sporrans, an animal mask sporran, a Rob Roy sporran, and the pocketlike leather sporrans which were the typical 20th century Day sporran (with or without the fur front).



Here is a very elaborate sporran, studded leather with metal top, probably brown leather with brass, worn with Day Dress



Time marches on and Highland Dress nowadays seems to be more of an anything-goes thing.

[RichardtheLarge]

My understanding is that the inclination for matching metals is quite Lowland, and had little relevance in the traditional Highland style. I think that brass cantled and coned sporrans on a silver chain can look very nice worn formally, and several regiments have worn them for quite a long time in parade dress.

[CollinMacD]

I have looked around the Net and cannot really find any good suppliers of Cantles. I wanteded, well could not find anything that was not antique, or too expensive that was brass. I do not want to spend a small fortune to purchase a brass one, nor do I want military, or antique. As you see below, I am currently having a nice day brown leather Sporran made. Of course I would like to have it done with a brass cantle, stud tacks, and other parts for making this sporran in brown and brass, but could not find one. Any ideas were to look or links on line?Here is the one I am having made, would like to have had brass, but if I cannot find what I want. Guess I will have to stick to this one exactly shown below, but still love it. I like the Templar Cross, Celtic knots on the cantle, and the leather cross in the medallion with the silver stud tacks around the edges. This silver or pewter, not sure what it is, has a nice appearance, not loud but to my out classy looking. I guess the brass would make it louder, but different. When I first found it I fell in love with the look and thought to make it a little different the brass would be a great addition. Since I really do not have a nice day sporran, since I plan to go to Nova Scotia Games in July, I would like to have this. Getting made now.

[CollinMacD]

Did not mean to take up too much space with post above, but any ideas on brass cantle and hardware? Still got about a week before it goes to production.

[FossilHunter]

Did not mean to take up too much space with post above, but any ideas on brass cantle and hardware? Still got about a week before it goes to production.

Not really. I’ve been playing around on the ‘design your own sporran’ page of artisans of Scotland and they have a polished brass cantle option. They might let you buy just the cantle from them.

But it’s quite shiny. I don’t know how good it would look with leather instead of fur.