Newman Brothers Inc. — The Last Supper Cast Iron Relief Plaque
SSC MUSEUM COLLECTION
Catalog No. SSC-NBI-PLQ-LS-001
Newman Bros Inc | Cast Iron Relief Plaque | Cincinnati, Ohio
After Leonardo da Vinci • Newman Brothers, Inc. • Founded 1882
Front view showing the high-relief depiction of the Last Supper after Leonardo da Vinci. All thirteen figures are clearly rendered with individual poses and gestures. Architectural details include ceiling beams, an arched central doorway, and wall tapestries. The raised border frame provides structure to the composition.
Newman Brothers, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio has been casting metal since 1882—making it one of the oldest continuously operating foundries in the United States. The company built its reputation on decorative cast metal work: plaques, tablets, memorials, grave markers, and architectural ornamentation produced with a level of hand-chased detail that made Newman Brothers a name synonymous with quality metalwork in the memorial and decorative arts industries. This Last Supper relief plaque is a product of that tradition—a cast iron rendering of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous composition, produced in Cincinnati and marked on the reverse with the company name.
The plaque depicts the complete Last Supper scene in high relief: Christ at the center with the twelve apostles arranged in their characteristic groupings along a trestle table. The casting captures a remarkable level of detail for its modest 9½-by-5-inch format—individual faces, gestures, drapery folds, table settings, ceiling beams, the arched doorway behind Christ, and tapestries on the walls are all rendered with clarity. The reverse bears the “NEWMAN BROS INC” marking along with two mounting holes at the upper corners and an integral cast easel foot at the bottom center, allowing the piece to be displayed either wall-mounted or freestanding on a table or shelf.
This piece represents a category of Ohio cast iron that the SSC collection is expanding to document: decorative and devotional castings from Ohio foundries that operated outside the cookware industry. Newman Brothers was not a hollowware manufacturer—it was a decorative metalwork foundry that produced plaques, memorials, and architectural fittings. But the iron is Ohio iron, the foundry is an Ohio foundry, and the marking identifies the maker and the state. That is all the SSC’s Ohio provenance mandate requires.
Piece Details
Reverse view showing the “NEWMAN BROS INC” maker’s mark cast into the back of the plaque. Two mounting holes are visible at the upper corners. The integral cast easel foot at bottom center allows freestanding tabletop display. The reverse surface shows the negative impression of the relief work on the front.
Manufacturer
Newman Brothers, Inc. (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Piece Type
Decorative cast iron relief plaque
Subject
The Last Supper, after Leonardo da Vinci
Material
Cast iron
Dimensions
Approximately 9½ inches long x 5 inches wide
Front
High-relief depiction of the Last Supper showing Christ and the twelve apostles seated at a long table; architectural background with ceiling beams, arched doorway, and wall tapestries; raised border frame
Back Marking
“NEWMAN BROS INC” cast into reverse; two hanging/mounting holes at upper corners; integral easel foot at bottom center for tabletop display
Display Configuration
Dual-purpose: wall-mountable via upper holes or freestanding via cast easel foot
Date of Manufacture
Estimated early to mid-20th century
Place of Manufacture
Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio
Condition
Very Good — all figures and architectural details clearly defined in relief; no cracks or structural damage; some surface patina and paint remnants consistent with age; easel foot intact; mounting holes intact; maker’s mark legible on reverse
Acquisition Date
February 18, 2026
Acquisition Source
eBay — Seller: msleesara
eBay Item Number
154735234876
Order Number
27-14231-22465
Purchase Price
$49.99 item + $12.69 shipping + $5.31 tax = $67.99 total
SSC Catalog Number
SSC-NBI-PLQ-LS-001
Historical Background
Newman Brothers, Inc.: 140+ Years of Cincinnati Metalwork
Newman Brothers was founded in 1882 as a foundry in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. Over more than 140 years the company has operated as a specialist in cast metal decorative and memorial products—plaques, tablets, grave markers, cremation urns, cemetery vases, and architectural metalwork. The company has described itself as operating “one of the oldest foundry operations in the country,” a claim that the founding date supports. Newman Brothers predates much of the Ohio cast iron cookware industry’s peak production period and has outlasted virtually all of it.
The company’s products have been cast in a variety of metals over its history: cast iron, bronze, aluminum, and zamak alloys. All cast products were traditionally hand-chased—a finishing process in which skilled metalworkers refine the surface details of a casting by hand using specialized tools. This labor-intensive step is what gives Newman Brothers’ plaques and memorials their sharp detail and professional finish. The Last Supper plaque in the SSC collection shows evidence of this hand-finishing tradition in the clarity of its figural detail.
Cincinnati: Ohio’s Industrial Powerhouse
Cincinnati’s role in American manufacturing is immense and well-documented. The city was one of the largest industrial centers in the United States throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, with major industries in machine tools, soap (Procter & Gamble), playing cards (US Playing Card Company), and metalwork of every description. The Queen City’s foundry tradition dates to the earliest decades of the 19th century, and by the time Newman Brothers was established in 1882, Cincinnati had a deep infrastructure of skilled metalworkers, foundry suppliers, and transportation networks that supported specialty casting operations.
Newman Brothers’ Center Hill Avenue facility in the Spring Grove neighborhood of Cincinnati served as the company’s headquarters for decades. In 2016, the architectural railing division was acquired by Hollaender Manufacturing (also of Cincinnati), but Newman Brothers Inc. continued operating independently as a foundry and memorials manufacturer. The company’s survival through 140+ years of economic cycles, world wars, and industry consolidation speaks to the enduring demand for quality decorative metalwork—and to the skill of Cincinnati’s metalworking tradition.
The Last Supper in Cast Metal
Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper has been one of the most reproduced artworks in human history since its completion in 1498. Cast metal versions became popular decorative items in American homes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, serving as both devotional objects and display pieces. Foundries across the country produced versions in cast iron, bronze, pot metal, and various alloys—but a marked example from an identified Ohio foundry with a 140-year history is a different proposition than an anonymous casting. The Newman Brothers marking transforms this from a generic devotional object into a documented piece of Ohio foundry work.
SSC Collection Context
This Last Supper plaque joins the SSC’s growing documentation of Ohio cast iron beyond the cookware industry. The collection mandate is clear: any marked cast iron from an Ohio manufacturer is eligible for inclusion regardless of category—cookware, industrial, agricultural, domestic, hardware, or decorative. Newman Brothers Inc. of Cincinnati is a documented Ohio foundry with a verifiable history dating to 1882, and this plaque carries the company’s mark. It belongs.
The piece extends the SSC’s geographic coverage into Hamilton County and Cincinnati—southwestern Ohio, distinct from the Sidney/Shelby County cluster of Wagner and the Piqua/Miami County cluster of Favorite. Cincinnati’s foundry heritage is vast but underrepresented in the cast iron collecting community, which tends to focus on hollowware producers. Newman Brothers represents a different tradition—decorative and memorial casting—but the iron is the same, the skill is the same, and the Ohio connection is documented on the piece itself.
For the SSC’s founder, this piece also carries a personal resonance. The Last Supper is among the most significant images in the Catholic devotional tradition, and the SSC’s thematic connection to German Catholic immigrant heritage—through the Brandewie family’s 1833 emigration from Westphalia to northwestern Ohio—gives this casting a layer of meaning beyond its foundry provenance. Ohio iron. Ohio foundry. Catholic devotional art. The connections write themselves.
The iron endures. The markings tell the truth. The story deserves to be told.
Newman Brothers, Inc. — Company Timeline
1882
Newman Brothers founded as a foundry in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. The company begins producing cast metal products including decorative plaques, memorials, and architectural metalwork.
Late 1800s
Newman Brothers establishes itself as a specialist in cast metal plaques, tablets, and decorative relief work. The foundry produces items in cast iron, bronze, aluminum, and various alloys.
Early 1900s
The company expands into architectural railing and guardrail systems while continuing its foundry operations for plaques, memorials, grave markers, cremation urns, and cemetery vases.
1929
Newman Brothers opens a facility on Cleanay Avenue in Cincinnati, expanding production capacity.
Mid-1900s
Newman Brothers becomes one of the largest manufacturers of ornamental hand and guardrail systems in the United States. The foundry division continues producing cast plaques, memorials, and decorative items.
2016
Hollaender Manufacturing acquires Newman Brothers’ architectural railing business. Newman Brothers Inc. continues operating as an independent company focused on its foundry and memorials division at 5609 Center Hill Avenue, Cincinnati.
Present
Newman Brothers Inc. continues to operate one of the oldest foundry operations in the country, producing custom cast plaques, tablets, grave markers, cremation urns, and cemetery vases from its Cincinnati facility.
2026
Steve’s Seasoned Classics acquires this Last Supper relief plaque from eBay seller msleesara. The piece is documented as SSC-NBI-PLQ-LS-001.
Why This Piece Matters
The Newman Brothers Last Supper plaque documents an Ohio foundry that most cast iron collectors have never heard of—not because it was small or insignificant, but because it operated in a different segment of the industry. Newman Brothers was never in the hollowware business. It never made a skillet or a Dutch oven or a waffle iron. But it has been casting metal in Cincinnati, Ohio since 1882, producing decorative and memorial work of exceptional quality for more than 140 years. Its survival into the 21st century makes it one of the longest-operating foundries in the state’s history.
For the SSC, this piece broadens the definition of what an Ohio cast iron collection can be. The collection is not limited to cookware. It documents marked cast iron from Ohio manufacturers—period. A decorative plaque from a Cincinnati foundry with a 140-year history belongs alongside a skillet from Sidney and a kettle from Zanesville. The material is the same. The craftsmanship is the same. The Ohio story is the same. The only difference is what the iron was asked to become.
Sources & Further Reading
Newman Brothers, Inc. company profile — Cityfos.com: business listing confirming Cincinnati, Ohio location, foundry operations, and product lines including cast plaques, tablets, and memorials.
Hollaender Manufacturing acquisition announcement (November 2016) — ThomasNet News: confirms Newman Brothers founded in 1882 as a foundry, with continued independent operation of the memorials and foundry division.
ICCFA Supply Link — Newman Brothers Inc. listing: product catalog confirming cast plaques, tablets, grave markers, urns, and vases from aluminum, bronze, and zamak alloys; “trademark quality since 1882.”
Dun & Bradstreet — Newman Brothers, Inc. company profile: 5609 Center Hill Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45216; Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing.
eBay listing and invoice documentation — Item 154735234876, Order 27-14231-22465.
About Steve’s Seasoned Classics
Steve’s Seasoned Classics is an online museum dedicated to preserving and documenting the heritage of American cast iron, with a focus on Ohio foundry pieces from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The SSC collection features over 130 pieces with detailed provenance, historical research, and photography for each item.
