Nanoscale structural information underlies research aimed at fabricating catalysts in a more controlled way. Surface science methods can provide that information, but the complexity of heterogeneous systems in general hinders the application of these methods to their full potential. In the last decades, a solution to this problem has been found in the use of model systems, ranging from well-defined single crystals of the supported phase to films or particles of that phase on flat or spherical model supports. In this paper, we review the literature on the latter model systems, that is, particles on a model support. Attention is payed to both preparation and use of such model systems.