Scotsman with Bird Staffordshire Spill Vase

• Spill Vase - Popular in Victorian times, a spill vase was a vessel for holding thin slips of wood or spills of paper with which to light a candle or pipe from a fire. For ease of access to the fire, they usually sat on the mantlepiece or had a hole in the back, so they could be hung from a wall. Their use declined with the with the evolution of heating through use of electricity and the use of safety matches in the late 19th century.
• Flatback - As the name indicates, flatback Staffordshire figures are characterized by their undecorated flat backs and are typically designed to be displayed to sit on a narrow mantlepiece. They often made in pairs and depict popular scenes or characters from literature, mythology, or history, and they were prized for their intricate details and bright colours.
  
  These figures were popular in England during the 19th century, and they were widely produced and sold by a number of different Staffordshire based manufacturers.
  
  In the late 1880's to the early 1900s Royal Worcester also manufactured a series of floral decorated jugs which are termed 'flat backs'.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• Staffordshire Potteries (England), item types
  • figures and groups 343
  • vases 95