Multicoloured Flatback Figure
A multicoloured flatback figure brings the naive charm and popular subjects of Victorian homes straight to your mantelpiece.
Multicoloured Flatback Figure
A multicoloured flatback figure is a Victorian earthenware ornament designed primarily for display against a cottage wall or mantelpiece, meaning the back is typically unglazed or undecorated. These pottery figures take the form of decorative figurines and statuettes, capturing subjects ranging from royal portraits to literary characters and historical events.
The versions most commonly met on this page date from the nineteenth century, including pieces specifically attributed to around eighteen eighty and eighteen sixty. These include named subjects such as Crimean War figures, Robin Hood, Little Red Riding Hood, and royal pairs like Napoleon III and Eugenie or the Prince of Wales and Princess Royal.
Makers often drew inspiration from contemporary news, folklore, and popular themes like temperance, translating them into ceramic figurines and statuettes. Alongside human characters, the evidence includes animal studies such as royal goats, reflecting the diverse range of subjects produced during the Victorian period.
How they were made
These pieces are fashioned from earthenware and glazed pottery, utilising clay bodies shaped by traditional moulding techniques suited for domestic display. The flat back construction saved on materials and weight, allowing the ornaments to sit securely against shelves and walls.
Decoration relies on lead glaze and enamel paint, applied by hand to bring colour and detail to the moulded subjects. The combination of vibrant enamels over a glossy glaze gives these Victorian folk art pieces their characteristic bright appearance.
All listed pieces are Victorian earthenware and ceramic figures spanning the nineteenth century, featuring lead glaze and enamel paint.
What varies in quality
The scale and ambition of the subject also influence the standing of a piece, with large paired figures and detailed historical portraits representing more complex work by the pottery.
The Multicoloured Flatback Figure Glossary
- Flatback
- A ceramic figure designed with a plain, unglazed, or flat rear side intended to be placed directly against a wall. This construction method was standard for Victorian mantelpiece ornaments.
- Earthenware
- Porous pottery fired at a lower temperature than stoneware or porcelain, serving as the standard body for these Victorian figures. It requires a glaze to become impermeable to liquids.
- Lead glaze
- A shiny, glassy coating containing lead oxide applied to pottery before firing to give a smooth finish. It enhances the brightness of the underlying earthenware and colours.
- Enamel paint
- Opaque vitreous or oil-based pigments applied over the fired glaze to add multicoloured details to the figures. This allowed potters to introduce vivid reds, blues, and greens after the main kiln run.
- Staffordshire pottery
- Ceramic wares produced in the various towns of the Staffordshire Potteries district in England. The region dominated the manufacture of popular earthenware figures during the nineteenth century.
Multicoloured Flatback Figure: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a flatback figure?
A flatback figure is a Victorian ceramic ornament modelled primarily for the front and sides, with a flat, undecorated reverse. This design allowed the piece to sit flush against a wall or mantelpiece.
Peculiar to the nineteenth century, these earthenware pieces served as accessible domestic decoration, depicting everything from current events to folk tales.
How were these figures displayed?
Victorian households typically placed these earthenware ornaments on mantelpieces, chiffoniers, or high shelves where only the decorated front view would be seen. Their flat backs made them stable against vertical surfaces.
Pairs of figures, such as royal portraits or characters like Sand and Beesums, were often arranged symmetrically to balance the mantel display.
What subjects do they show?
The subjects span a wide range of Victorian life, including military heroes from the Crimean War, literary figures like Robin Hood, and temperance subjects. Royal portraits and animal studies also appear frequently.
Potters drew inspiration from popular culture, newspapers, and traditional folklore to create pieces that resonated with ordinary buyers of the period.
How do you date a flatback figure?
Dating relies on stylistic clues, the specific historical events or royals depicted, and the characteristics of the earthenware body and glaze. Most pieces on this page date to the nineteenth century, specifically around the Victorian era.
Historical subjects like the Crimean War or specific royal marriages provide a reliable after-which date for the manufacture of commemorative models.