Figure group

Flatbacks are cheaply made ornaments intended for display against a wall. They are made in simple two-piece moulds with a vertical seam. The fronts are crudely moulded and their backs are poorly finished without moulded or painted details. A small, separately moulded panel seals the base. Flatbacks were made in huge quantities in Staffordshire in the 19th century. Similar crudely made figures have been mass-produced in several other countries over the centuries, notably Egypt and China.