This is part of an assembled set of 102 pieces of Minton’s “Florentine” pattern. I put this together over the last 25 years. This rich pattern includes Greek/Roman medallion heads or cameos, urns, and griffins (aka griffons, aka gryphons), which are “legendary creatures with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle, and sometimes an eagle's talons as its front feet.” This set is all in the most popular red/rust border color, with black and yellow/gold areas, but I have also seen a few pieces in multi-color (pastels) and a small bit in just a black outline with no color.

This is glazed transferware made in England on a softer earthenware.

Minton registered this pattern on September 22, 1862, but produced it through at least the 1912. Many people mistake the registry date with the date of production, but in the case of Minton, many pieces are date marked. The fact that this pattern was produced for at least 50 years is indicative of its popularity. Where date marked (that I can read), I will indicate the year of production.

Pieces in this set are of varying condition as would be expected of soft paste china made 110-160 years ago and used! Pieces in this pattern often have crazing in the glaze, discoloration to the white central area, and paint loss to the red border. These signs of age and use should be expected and I will not describe this level of wear/aging. Instead, I will indicate if pieces are in exceptionally good condition. If there are any chips (missing earthenware) or cracks that extend through the piece, I will note them and provide pictures.

If you are interested in pieces, I strongly encourage you to look at the pictures closely, as our opinions of good or very good condition may differ.