Topic: Laurence Whistler: The Image on the Glass

[ChrisStewart]

Hi All,

If you want to see some wonderful examples of his work, visit Morton church in Dorset. Nearly all of the windows in the church have been designed by him.

Regards

Chris

[paradisetrader]

Laurence Whistler’s memorial window to an unknown pilot shot, down in 1940, was commissioned anonymously by his widow and commemorates a youthful marriage cut short by war. The imagery, together with the transparency and fragility of the medium - engraved glass - suggests something lovely that is lost.  Despite the specificity of personal detail, the memorial window transcends not only the personal, as wartime widowhood and the loss of a lover was an experience shared by many women, but also the period, as romantic love ending in tragedy is a recurrent theme in Western culture. Unlike many war memorials, this is not a military portrait, nor does it contain any patriotic or religious inscription, just initials and the year of marriage ­ 1939-40.  This paper will argue that the window is not only a commemoration of absence but also a celebration of a life shared.

Diane Hughes
Engraved on the Memory
Laurence Whistler’s Engraved Glass Memorial Window, St. Nicholas’ Church, Morton, Dorset

Association of Art Historians Website
http://www.aah.org.uk/confs/2001aah/2001s5.html

[Bernard C]

Morton sounds familiar to me, as we camp near Corfe Castle each year, and know Dorset well.   So I looked in my atlas — no luck.    But browsing around the Internet, I discovered that Whistler's window was at Moreton.   A Google search on Whistler and Moreton was most productive; here is one example: http://www.gattonhouse.co.uk/dorset/moreton.htm

Moreton is about six miles east of Dorchester, on a pleasant country lane route that follows the south bank of the River Frome for part of the way to Dorchester.    This summer we stopped at the little cemetery, about 150 yards SW of the church, to visit Lawrence of Arabia's grave.   As it was a nice day, we explored the village.   The map showed the river just to the north of the churchyard, so we walked round the churchyard looking for access, but no luck.   I never thought to look inside the church!   So we walked back to the road, into the village, and found a lane by the Post Office that took us down to the river.    I think we only saw a couple of dragonflies and a few small trout.    In all, I think we must have passed through Moreton three or four times this summer; considerably more than a dozen times over the many years we have spent our holidays camping near Corfe Castle.

How about that for a wierd coincidence!

Bernard C.  

[ChrisStewart]

HI All,

photographing engraved windows in a church is very difficult. Here are some from Moreton church:

http://www.stewart-consultancy.com/images/moreton_1.jpg
http://www.stewart-consultancy.com/images/moreton_2.jpg
http://www.stewart-consultancy.com/images/moreton_3.jpg
http://www.stewart-consultancy.com/images/moreton_4.jpg
http://www.stewart-consultancy.com/images/moreton_5.jpg


Regards

Chris

[paradisetrader]

Thank you Chris
a refreshing change from stained glass and surprisingly effective.

Photographing them at night would probably be a lot easier - you've done a good job in the cirmcumstances.

The sun rays and tulip tree ? gardenia ? motifs seem to work very well.
I think I see an RAF tailplane (bottom right) and I guess the stylized P is one of the initials referred to by Diane Hughes.

[Bernard C]

Thanks everyone for your comments and photographs.   I bought the book, and have not regretted my decision.

Whitefriars fans would find it interesting as it contains references to Wilson independently taking up diamond-point engraving at the same time as Whistler in about 1934, to Whistler engraving Whitefriars blanks, and to a design by Whistler going into production at Whitefriars.   That makes it three books I have bought this year containing unexpected material relating to Whitefriars.

... and we will be visiting Moreton this coming summer, and going into the church!   There is also a window by Whistler in Stowe church, just a few miles from me, so that will probably be the first example of his work that I will see.   It will be interesting to compare the style with the expert copper wheel engraving of Mr Douglas of John Walsh Walsh, which I know quite well.

Bernard C.  

[Bernard C]

As we are again on holiday in Dorset, we went to see Whistler's windows in Moreton church.

Words do not describe them.   Amazing.   A must for any glass lover.   The galaxy window is particularly magnificent.

... and, if you walk north, over the long bridge next to the ford, the conifer wood you come to is one of the best places in Britain to see crossbills.   Difficult to see, but easy to hear crunching their way through pine cones, and the gentle rain of pine cone fragments is a giveaway.    As always, we didn't see or hear them!

Bernard C.  

[Bernard C]

Another year on and we spent another afternoon at Moreton while on holiday, this time with my daughter Abi, who loved it.

In the intervening year I had noticed the following in the guidebook to the windows:-

Techniques

For the apse windows Laurence Whistler made full-size designs which were carried out by the craftsmen of the London Sandblast Company, in deep cutting, acid etching, and sandblast.   More recent windows like the Dream of the Rood and the Trinity Chapel one have been wholly engraved by himself using scriber and drill.   Others, like the Galaxy window, have a basis of light sandblast — with some polished cutting, in that instance — provided to his full-size drawings by the craftsmen of T. and W. Ide, chiefly Dennis Richardson;  on which the artist worked up the design with his drill.

So I was particularly keen to see the results of the different techniques.   The contrast between the apse windows and the Galaxy window at opposite ends of the church was most striking.   The apse window designs are quietly ephemeral, almost ghostly, whereas the Galaxy window shouts with exuberance at you with its glitter and sparkle.   Wonderful.

One query.    The author of the above quote refers to the "London Sandblast Company".   Is this the same as the "London Sandblast Decorative Glass Wks. Ltd" of Burdett Road, E3 as shown on the label of the advertising paperweight pictured below?

Bernard C. 

[lesley7]

How fascinating Bernard. I look forward to one day visiting this church. All I have is a lovely book called St. Nicholas, Morton, The Engraved Glass Windows, printed by Henry Ling Limited at Dorset Press. It has very good photos and explanations.

I have a copy of Point Engraving on Glass by Laurence Whistler which has a bit of everything and everyone, but the best and the latest  and a MUST for all interested in stipple engraving : On A Glass Lightly by his son Simon. Simon sadly died in April 2005, I would have loved to have met him. The book shows many works of both father and son.

After Simons death, his wife came to our Guild of Glass Engravers AGM and had a selection of some very precious pieces for sale. I am very privileged to now own one of only a few of the very tall Whitefriars goblets . This was one of the collection of the Late Laurence and Simon Whistler's "Blanks". It was designed by Laurence in 1960 and made by Whitefriars.....Will I engrave it?...after all that is what it was created for.....but me thinks probably not (I can see you all freaking out  ) It is far too precious.

http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-8249

[Frank]

You should engrave it... only stipple of course  and as a tribute to father & son. Add the story of the glass to the foot and it becomes a unique piece of history. Left as a blank it just another glass - as far as I know there are no collectors of 'blanks used by famous engravers'.