Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 6 · column 1 of 7 · from the scan, no model involved
By Monty Tayloe
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
In Rappahannock County, Edmund Kavanagh is known for his store “Jewelry by Edmund,” which he used to operate in Washington.
What many people may not realize is that Kavanagh is actually a one-man defense contractor. Sort of. Kavanagh is a master of the obscure art of repousse, and instead of Patriot missile systems, he builds the ceremonial maces used by drum majors in official U.S. military bands.
Repousse, from Latin by way of French, means “pushed up,” and in metal working refers to manipulating metal by hammering or by pressing or tapping it from the reverse side.
“An artist uses colors, I use textures, ” Kavanagh said.
In September, Kavanagh completed work on an intricate gold-and-brass mace for the official band of the U.S. Marine Corps, called “The President’s Own.” The U.S Marine Band was created by Congress in 1798, specifically to provide music for the president.
The band’s new mace stands 68 inches tall, built to order for the band’s drum major, Master Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Kohl.
“He’s a big fella,” Kavanagh said.
The head of the mace is where Kavanagh’s special skills come into play. Kavanagh used repousse to decorate the head of the mace, pressing the metal
93.4%