The Niche Masterpiece

The construction of a gauged niche has always been considered the supreme test of a bricklayer’s skill as a craftsman, for it requires sound knowledge of geometry as well as excellence in all-round manual dexterity. Without both, it would be impossible to set-out, prepare, and construct such a complex element. Indeed, in parts of the Netherlands during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a gauged brick niche was one of the few selected scaled models constructed by the top apprentices as their ‘Gildeproeven’ or masterpiece for their guild masters; these can still be seen today in De Waag, Amsterdam.

Gerard designed, cut and built this reduced scale niche as part of his PhD, using traditional materials, tools and techniques as his predecsseors.