Whitefriars

whitefriars

Whitefriars

Identifying  whitefriars glass.

Whitefriars Glass was unmarked and unsigned only a very few pieces still retain the original paper labels with the image of the white friar.

However, the influential exhibition of Whitefriars Glass held in 1995 at the museum of London has generated some excellent, and  thoroughly  documented , and comprehensive reference books and catalogues.

Whitefriars

Which provide details of the  companies distinctive colour and range, as well as its designs from the earlier historical glass, through to the Scandinavian inspired range from the 1950s and 1960s.

The studio glass and its colour of the 1970s, makes it a whole lot easier to date the glass.

Geoffrey Baxter was a graduate of the Royal College of Art, Baxter was one of the pioneers of. Post-war modern British glass design.

Whitefriars

He joined Whitefriars in 1954 and immediately introduced designs for organic cased vases with a contemporary Scandinavian feel but a distinctly British character.

Baxter drew inspiration from the most familiar objects, walks through local woods inspired his experiments with homemade moulds, in 1967 his ingenuity, and curiosity, and determination resulted in what we now know as the bark lined moulds that launched the now iconic whitefriars textured vases.

Whitefriars

Geoffrey Baxters range of two- tone cased and coloured vases and bowls, which was developed in the 1960s, sometimes posed technical problems.

Some colour combinations were incompatible because of the different rates at which colours expanded and contracted.

Whitefriars

Blues and greens in aquamarine vases were particularly problematic marriage.

This combination almost always failed, the vases broke while cooling and had to be discarded.

To date, only six successful versions of this vases are known, which makes it extremely rare and sought after and expensive, you could expect to pay in 2013 £1000 £1200 aprox $1500-$1700.

Whitefriars

In the last couple of years I have seen particularly Baxters vases drop in price by almost 40% compared to what you would have paid in 2010.

I hope you found this page to be both informative and helpful.

Happy hunting from the collectables coach