Description

Staffordshire Flatback Poacher and Gamekeeper

When I bought this flatback it was described to me as depicting a highwayman and his victim, but I am convinced that the more likely subject of the scene is a gamekeeper apprehending a poacher. There are two dead birds by their feet and the gentleman to the right has a bag slung over his shoulders which is a style that I have seen referred to as a ‘poacher’s bag’.

Either way the jaunty red oultine of each man’s lips makes an incongruous appearance with the subject. I rather like their neckerchiefs though.

The flatback was probably made in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and would have been intended to sit on a mantelpiece or similar, facing out to the room. It is therefore undecorated on the reverse.

These pieces were made by various companies in Staffordshire and were largely decorated by young women. The same mould example often appears with varying degrees of decoration. I have an example of this particular scene which has much less glaze colour than this one.

In good condition with no chips or cracks.

Measurements:

Height: 33.5cm
Width: 19cm
Depth (front to back): 6.8cm