Collection: Flatbacks & Spill Vases

Staffordshire flatbacks are a type of pottery that was popular in Victorian England. They are made from earthenware in molds and then hand painted and finished with bright enamels. They depict celebrities, scenes from popular plays and stories, animals and pastoral scenes. Known as ‘flatbacks’ because they were designed to stand on a shelf or mantelpiece so are only modelled and decorated where visible on the front and sides

Victorian spill vases were ceramic figures featuring a vase designed to hold ‘spills’, thin wooden sticks or tightly curled strands of paper used to transfer flame from an existing fire to another material such as a candle or smoking pipe. These were essential items used in most households until the late 1800s. Although the safety match was invented in 1844, matches were not commonly used until later in the century. A matchbook with matches and a striking surface was not invented until the 1890s

Staffordshire is a county in England famous for its pottery: home to Wedgwood, Minton, Moorcroft and numerous small pottery companies that flourished in the 1800s