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The British museum has put pictures of the entire Griffith set online! (If the link does not work, open the search page, search for 1896,0807.8.a, and then click the "See all views (13)" link. (edited to add, Ivan Day has re-created some of these trenchers in sugar plate!)
This set is unique, I think, in that the flowers are somewhat naturally rendered, and the rectangular tablets for writing spaces are also framed with decorative geometrics. I can't think of another round set where the writing is deliberately confined to a framed, rectangular space (except the Simpsons set, which I think was copied from this set). In rectangular writing space, the Griffith set seems to more resemble the Bird set (I believe the Bird set is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York as Accession number 64.101.1579–.1591a, b) although the Bird set's floral motifs are more similar to the round sets at the MAG, BMFA and the BM's Ironmonger set (1888,1110.42).
The edges of the Griffith set have no matches that I know of. Closest black geometrics on a gold ground are two in the Norfolk collection: NWHCM : 1894.76.434.1 : S, and NWHCM : 1894.76.434.2 : S. Or possibly the black and gold spiral designs on the rectangular set in the Ashmoelan museum, Oxford accession number AN2009.6.
The posies of the Griffith set have no matches that I am aware of. The posies are generally in the "moral precepts" category, and gender neutral for 16th century verse. None are about marriage.
( Modern Spellings behind the cut )
This set is unique, I think, in that the flowers are somewhat naturally rendered, and the rectangular tablets for writing spaces are also framed with decorative geometrics. I can't think of another round set where the writing is deliberately confined to a framed, rectangular space (except the Simpsons set, which I think was copied from this set). In rectangular writing space, the Griffith set seems to more resemble the Bird set (I believe the Bird set is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York as Accession number 64.101.1579–.1591a, b) although the Bird set's floral motifs are more similar to the round sets at the MAG, BMFA and the BM's Ironmonger set (1888,1110.42).
The edges of the Griffith set have no matches that I know of. Closest black geometrics on a gold ground are two in the Norfolk collection: NWHCM : 1894.76.434.1 : S, and NWHCM : 1894.76.434.2 : S. Or possibly the black and gold spiral designs on the rectangular set in the Ashmoelan museum, Oxford accession number AN2009.6.
The posies of the Griffith set have no matches that I am aware of. The posies are generally in the "moral precepts" category, and gender neutral for 16th century verse. None are about marriage.
( Modern Spellings behind the cut )
