FRANCISCAN CHINA Renaissance Grey - 5 pc. Place Setting

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Up for auction is a Franciscan Masterpiece Renaissance china 5 piece place setting in grey. It has a beautiful grey and white floral pattern with gold trim. My mother bought it in 1958 or 1959 in a small gift shop named Heirlooms in downtown Manhattan, NYC. (The store has long since closed). The pattern, Renaissance, was retired in the 1970's. The set is in excellent condition. Some pieces may show very subtle signs of use, but nothing to be concerned about. T are no cracks or chips whatsoever. These were used very rarely. The underside has stamped in gold the following: "Renaissance - Gladding, McBean & Co. - Franciscan Masterpiece China - Made in U.S.A." Keep in mind, this china is not dishwasher safe. The 5 pieces include:1 Footed cup1 Saucer1 Dinner plate (10 5/8")1 Bread and butter plate (6 3/8")1 Salad plate (8 3/8")I saw these place settings for about $88.00 on some china replacement websites.I have more place settings that I will be listing. If you're interested, please check out my other auctions. I accept PayPal only and payment must be made within 7 days. I will ship to the continental U.S. and Canada only. Insurance is included. If you have any questions, I'd love to hear from you, so please don't hesitate to email me thru eBay. Some information regarding Gladding, McBean & Co .:Gladding, McBean & Co., began production of Franciscan dinnerware in 1934 at their plant in Glendale, California. Gladding, McBean & Co. formed in 1875 to produce sewer tile for the then expanding American West. Over the years they acquired several regional potteries and expanded their product lines several times to include roof tile, decorative art tiles, garden pottery, and art pottery. Originally, the dinnerware line was sold as Franciscan Pottery and included solidly colored, bright earthenware in the casual style of Mexican folk pottery. This informal tableware was a warm friendly note in the midst of the Great Depression and the company selection of the Franciscan name, an allusion to Franciscan monks, further played into the Southwest imagery. 1930's Franciscan patterns, with names like El Patio, Coronado and Montecito , enhanced the California casual style and sold well. The name was altered to Franciscan Ware in the late 1930's to allow for a more upscale and broader image. Shortly tafter, the company introduced raised relief, handpainted patterns that proved hugely successful. Two of these, Franciscan Apple (1940) and Franciscan Desert Rose (1941) are the only continuously produced Franciscan patterns, and remain in production today. Franciscan Desert Rose has become the most sold American dinnerware of all time. Other handpainted patterns such as Ivy, October and Fresh Fruit became quite popular during this time. One of the most desirable and difficult to find Franciscan patterns for collectors is Wildflower , a handpainted and many colored tribute to the flora of the American west. It was produced for no more than three years. The entry of Gladding, McBean & Co into the dinnerware market was made possible in part by the arrival of Frederic and Mary Grant. Frederic was a ceramics engineer and previously had been president of the Weller pottery in Ohio. Mary was a successful stylist whose designs drove the first two decades of production at Franciscan. A number of other artists created designs and modeled shapes but the Grants worked together in their successful control of Franciscan products.Some of the best of the Grants influences can be seen in their Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York's Thirteenth Exhibition of Contemporary American Industrial Art in 1934. Two objects designed by the Grants appeared in this exhibition as Gladding, McBean products: a large satin gray bowl and a lemon yellow vase. In the same exhibition of 1940 "a bowl and platter designed by Mary K. Grant: made by Gladding, McBean & Co." was again honored. This acclaim for Mary's work continued in 1951 when an exhibition cal... read more

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