Lustre pottery can trace its roots back to the 9th century in present-day Iraq, where craftsmen first employed the technique of adding metallic oxides to glazes to create a shimmering iridescence. The technique traveled throughout the world to such places as Italy, Spain, and China before reaching Staffordshire, England in the late 18th century. This pair of lustre pottery quintal vases by Sewell & Donkin are surprisingly modern in design, despite being created in the early days of Staffordshire lustre.