What is a mantel lustre?

A mantel lustre is an ornamental glass vase featuring a flared rim hung with cut crystal prisms. These prisms caught the flickering light of gas lamps and candles in Victorian rooms. They were typically displayed in pairs flanking a clock on the drawing-room mantelpiece, serving a decorative rather than practical function.

Why did Victorian vases have flat backs?

Many nineteenth-century ceramic figures and spill vases were made with flat backs because they were intended to stand on narrow mantelpieces against a wall. This method simplified manufacturing and reduced the weight of the piece. Potters concentrated their detailed painting and modelling entirely on the front view where the eye naturally rested.

How were spill vases used?

Spill vases held thin rolled spills of paper or wood used to transfer a flame from the fireplace to lamps and pipes. They kept these combustible tapers neat and close at hand on the hearth. Because matches were initially expensive or volatile, these holders were essential household accessories throughout the nineteenth century.