During the second half of the eighteenth century ornamental vases were very popular, in some cases sets of up to seven vases were produced to be placed together on a chimneypiece. Boulton was one of the first manufacturers to seize on the commercial opportunities created by the craze for the 'antique taste', or neo-classicism as we now refer to it, which flourished in the 1760s. Objects like this one were known as candle vases as they could be used to hold a candle or as a vase. Ornamental wares of this and simpler kinds made up the bulk of Boulton's production.