Not currently on display at the V&A

Vase Mould

1966 (designed), 1966-69 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin


This mould was designed by Geoffrey Baxter and used in the Whitefriars Glass factory to produce ‘Drunken Bricklayer’ vases.

The mould is formed from two halves, joined together through a large central hinge. Each half has a protruding arm which would have been used to open and close the mould. To produce the vase, the hinge of the mould would be held closed to form the vase shape. An amount of molten glass would be placed on the end of the glassworker’s blowpipe and then be inflated inside the centre of the mould. The design on the interior of the mould determines the shape and texture of the bubble of glass - in this case, the mould gives the glass a woodgrain texture, dimples across one section and creates the distinctive shape of three off-set cubes.

Geoffrey Baxter graduated from the Royal College of Art in the early 1950s and was recruited by Whitefriars Glass in 1954. He went on to design many of Whitefriars most distinctive wares, of which the Drunken Bricklayer is one of the most recognisable. Influenced by the organic forms and elements of Scandinavian design of the 1940s and 50s, Baxter had a deep interest in texture and colour and came to develop his own recognisable style. In his experiments to produce different textures in glass, he made use of a range of materials (including bark, wire and nails) to create moulds - creating effects of distinctive waves, ridges and dimples. In this example a number of round-head nails were hammered into a wooden proto-type mould to create dimples in the glass vase.

Two versions of the ‘Drunken Bricklayer’ vase were produced. This mould was for the smaller one (Pattern Number 9672), standing at about 20cm. The larger version (Pattern Number 9672) is about 33cm tall. This popular and iconic design has been the subject of a number of forgeries, particularly since 2007. Small differences in the dimpled surface pattern and the glass colour enable them to be distinguished as such and study of this original mould can help support identification of fake or replica vases.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
This mould was used to produce what is termed a 'multi-piece' blown mould vase. The mould itself is a metal cast of a proto-type mould made from wood and nails. Casting the original mould into metal would ensure it had a longer working life. The proto-type mould was evidently made up of four rectangular blocks of wood to create the basic form. Six smaller pieces of wood were then added to the inside - two in the middle of one side and two at the top and bottom of the other side - thus creating the distinctive shape of three off-set cubes. On the side which had four additional pieces added, the centre section had a number of round-head nails hammered into it. These nails created dimples in the glass vase.
Brief description
Mould for the 'Drunken Bricklayer' (Pattern Number 9673), a blown-mould vase. Designed by Geoffrey Baxter in 1966, for Whitefriars Glass Ltd. (James Powell & Sons). Made in England (Wealdstone), 1966-69.
Physical description
Cast-metal mould for 'Drunken Bricklayer' vase, a blown-mould glass vase produced by Whitefriars Glass Works.

The mould is formed from two halves, joined together through a large central hinge. Each half has a protruding arm, ending in a wooden handle, which would have been used to open and close the mould.

The inside surfaces of the mould have a woodgrain texture, due to being cast from a wooden proto-type mould. A number (approx. 9) of the protruding 'nails' that cover one section of the mould (and create a dimple effect on the glass) have broken off or been worn away through use.
Dimensions
  • Height: 220mm
  • Handle to handle width: 333mm (max, closed)
  • Depth: 385mm (max, closed)
  • Width: 620mm (max, open (approx))
  • Depth: 380mm (max, open (approx))
  • Outer edge of central mould section width: 120mm
  • Outer edge of central mould section depth: 120mm
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • 9673 (This number has been painted on the outside of both halves of the mould. 9673 is the Whitefriars' pattern number for the Bricklayer vase.)
  • TOP (This has been painted on the outside of one of the halves of the mould. This was to indicate which way up the mould should be used. NB: A small number of the vases were produced using the mould upside down.)
Credit line
Given by Patrick Hogan
Object history
Geoffrey Baxter & The Drunken Bricklayer

Geoffrey Baxter graduated from the Royal College of Art in the early 1950s. In 1954 he was recruited by William Wilson, managing director and chief designer at Whitefriars Glass, to be his assistant.

Baxter was influenced by the organic forms and elements of Scandinavian design of the 1940s and 50s. He had a deep interest in texture and colour and came to develop his own recognisable style. In his experiments to produce different textures in glass, he made use of a range of materials (including bark, wire and nails) in creating the moulds - producing distinctive waves, ridges and dimples. In this example a number of round-head nails were hammered into a wooden proto-type mould to create dimples in the glass vase. A larger version of the Drunken Bricklayer vase was also produced (Pattern Number 9672), standing at 33cm tall.

The standard factory colours used for the Drunken Bricklayer vases were: Aubergine, Cinnamon, Indigo, Kingfisher, Lilac, Meadow Green, Pewter, Tangerine and Willow. The V&A has an example of the small Drunken Bricklayer in Tangerine.

The nail-head casts on this mould (used to create a dimple effect on the glass) have been noticeably worn through use, it appears that approximately nine of them have been worn right down or snapped off. Wolfie Rayner (Whitefriars Glass Collectors Club) observed that: 'As far as I can tell all late 1974 Whitefriars Drunken Bricklayers in Lilac and Sage and all that were made in the mould after Whitefriars have weak dot patterns especially to the bottom left corner.'


Fakes & Replicas

In around 2007, warnings were shared amongst collectors that a number of fake Drunken Bricklayer vases were appearing on the market. Specialists advised that small differences in the dimpled surface pattern and the glass colour enable them to be distinguished as such.

In 2015 Wolfie Rayner shared a guide with the Whitefriars Glass Collectors Club describing 'five specific types' of 'fake' Drunken Bricklayers. He catagorised them as:

1) In the Original Mould
2) Goyal India
3) Horncastle Glass Studios
4) Non-textured
5) East Bristol auction (Jan 2015)


Whitefriars Factory Moulds

In 2008 a number of Whitefriars factory moulds appeared for public sale online. There was concern amongst collectors of Whitefriars wares as to the implications of the moulds being in private hands and possibly being used to make new pieces. The Whitefriars Glass Collectors Club worked with Harrow Council to acquire the moulds on behalf of the Harrow Heritage Museum, where they are now kept and conserved.

This Drunken Bricklayer mould is known to have previously been in the possession of glassblower Jonathan Andersson (Dean Farm Studios). Andersson produced a number of vases using the mould, using colours that distinguished them from those produced by Whitefriars, between about 2000 to 2007. Following requests from collectors, Andersson started signing the underside of his vases. However, there remained much consternation amongst collectors regarding the mould being used at all.

Prior to Andersson's productions, the mould was apparently used for project demonstrations and work at Farnham College. It is thought that a small number of the vases produced through this remain in existence (perhaps circulating on the market as 'genuine Whitefriars' pieces).
Historical context
This mould was used in the Whitefriars factory to mass-produce 'Drunken Bricklayer' vases.

To produce the vase, the hinge of the mould would be held closed to form the vase shape. An amount of molten glass would be placed on the end of the glassworker's blowpipe and then be inflated into the centre of the mould. The design on the interior of the mould determines the shape and texture of the bubble of glass - in this case, the mould gives the glass a woodgrain texture and dimples across one section.

A number (approx. 9) of the protruding 'nails' that cover one section of the mould (to create a dimple effect on the glass) have broken off or been worn away through use. This would probably have happened on occassions when glass inadvertently stuck to the mould and had to be chipped off before the mould could be used again.
Associations
Summary

This mould was designed by Geoffrey Baxter and used in the Whitefriars Glass factory to produce ‘Drunken Bricklayer’ vases.

The mould is formed from two halves, joined together through a large central hinge. Each half has a protruding arm which would have been used to open and close the mould. To produce the vase, the hinge of the mould would be held closed to form the vase shape. An amount of molten glass would be placed on the end of the glassworker’s blowpipe and then be inflated inside the centre of the mould. The design on the interior of the mould determines the shape and texture of the bubble of glass - in this case, the mould gives the glass a woodgrain texture, dimples across one section and creates the distinctive shape of three off-set cubes.

Geoffrey Baxter graduated from the Royal College of Art in the early 1950s and was recruited by Whitefriars Glass in 1954. He went on to design many of Whitefriars most distinctive wares, of which the Drunken Bricklayer is one of the most recognisable. Influenced by the organic forms and elements of Scandinavian design of the 1940s and 50s, Baxter had a deep interest in texture and colour and came to develop his own recognisable style. In his experiments to produce different textures in glass, he made use of a range of materials (including bark, wire and nails) to create moulds - creating effects of distinctive waves, ridges and dimples. In this example a number of round-head nails were hammered into a wooden proto-type mould to create dimples in the glass vase.

Two versions of the ‘Drunken Bricklayer’ vase were produced. This mould was for the smaller one (Pattern Number 9672), standing at about 20cm. The larger version (Pattern Number 9672) is about 33cm tall. This popular and iconic design has been the subject of a number of forgeries, particularly since 2007. Small differences in the dimpled surface pattern and the glass colour enable them to be distinguished as such and study of this original mould can help support identification of fake or replica vases.
Associated object
C.175-1996 (Object)
Bibliographic reference
The Textured Drunken Bricklayer Vase (Pattern Number 9673) appears in the 1969 Whitefriars Glass catalogue on page 15. Here it is credited as being designed by Geoffrey Baxter and described as standing 8" in height.
Other number
9673 - Pattern number
Collection
Accession number
C.11-2016

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Record createdNovember 26, 2015
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