Topic: Large pea-moulded vase

[aps58]

Hi. Can anyone give advice on this please? It is a huge 12" tall (305mm) sapphire blue`ish coloured vase. The top diameter is around 8 1/4" (210mm) and the bottom diam is around 6" (155mm). The outside face is flat whilst the inside face has the raised bubbles. It weighs nearly 5lb`s (2.2kg). I think that the technique used is pea-moulding but am open to suggestions. The colouring is most prominent on the base but the whole vase looks cased. I have admired this vase for some time but finally took the bait this week. It was described as Whitefriars but I think that it may be by another manufacturer. Help!

[aps58]

For those of you following this thread I have some updates for you. The vase has been confirmed as being a "likely match" for the Whitefriars pattern 8473. It has all of the same attributes regarding size/dimensions and although slightly heavier than other 8473 looked at, it appears to be within range; the extra weight could be due to the surface treatment. It has the domed base and polished pontil similar to the 8473. Apparently, Harry Powell was quite a task-master when it came to quality so it was no surprise to see that the two vases were virtually identical.
Would a copy match this closely? Where we confirming two copies (I doubt this theory as the other vase had good provenance)?
The vase has been posted on the Whitefriars forum and those responding have been unable to confirm the manufacturer to be Whitefriars, apparently pea-moulding was not a common technique.
So, could you please rack your brain cells, look at any books/paperwork that you have and see if a manufacturer can be attributed.
Please note that I am a collector, not a trader. I buy collectable items to keep and look at, not to sell! I am merely researching a wonderful piece of art glass.

[aps58]

Just looked in the book "Glass of the 20's and 30's" and have been reminded that Keith Murray once made some trial designs for Whitefriars. Many were not accepted because they did not fit-in with the Whitefriars design style/production techniques at the time. Could this explain the remarkable similarities between the 8473 vase and the one that I have? Unfortunately, Whitefriars records from this era are, apparently, very scarce.
Does anyone have any details from the early Keith Murray era? Any pictures or design sketches?
Please keep looking at this post as the research area is massive. Any help/pointers would be much appreciated.

[nigel benson]

Hello,

I tried to add something about this on Whitefriars.com, but for some reason it kept asking me to register when posting my comment.

Certainly not Whitefriars, nor Keith Murray

To be honest it's not even pea-moulded since the scale is wrong - the moulding is much too large.

Most, if not all manufactures in the UK made timbler/bucket vases and often one or more of a manufatcurers range would be the same size as another's. Sizes being popular with the buying public, etc.. The colour of blue used in the vase is also similar to blues recorded as being used by Thomas Webb, Stuart and Stevens & Williams, so the world's your oyster   

However, IMHO, this is likley to be by Webb - indeed my own version is in one of my 'Webb' crates 

Cheers, Nigel

[aps58]

Thanks for that. I find glass collecting to be a fascinating hobby and there are still gaps in the Whitefriars history to be plugged. Whoever made the vase created a wonderful piece of artwork, one that I have never seen before. The texture that has been created on the inside by using super-sized peas (I use this term because I cannot think of anything else) again is something that I have never seen before. I know that in the 20's, many pieces were made by Keith Murray for Whitefriars to consider and, whilst I am not saying for a minute that this is one of them, this is one of the historical gaps that fascinates me and one that I will probably look into over the next millennium.