Franciscan Desert Rose 9in Bowl

FRANCISCAN DESERT ROSE ROUND SERVING BOWL - HAND-PAINTED CALIFORNIA EARTHENWARE A single round serving or vegetable bowl in the Franciscan Desert Rose pattern, hand-painted California earthenware, approximately 9 inches across the rim and about 3 inches tall, with the pattern's molded scalloped rim and raised relief decoration. The rose-and-vine border runs the full circumference: opened pink wild roses with bright yellow centers dotted in dark brown, sculpted pink buds standing in relief off the rim, green leaves, and a thorny olive-brown vine wrapping the scalloped edge. The interior is plain cream white and the exterior is glazed white to the recessed foot. The underside carries the brown dotted-oval Franciscan mark with GLADDING, McBEAN & CO. in the top ring and a letter T beneath, placing it in the pre-Interpace California production run. This is the everyday open serving bowl for the pattern and pairs directly with the Desert Rose dinner plates, saucers, cup and saucer sets, bowls, gravy boat, cookie jar, bud vase, and wine goblets offered elsewhere in this sale. This bowl has flaked bare spots along the rim edge and interior staining, described in detail in the condition section below, so review those close-up photographs carefully before bidding. Sold as one piece. Description One round serving or vegetable bowl in the Franciscan Desert Rose pattern, glazed earthenware Round with a molded scalloped and lightly waved rim, gently flaring sides, and a recessed foot ring Measures approximately 9 inches across the rim per the overhead tape photograph, with the hook set at the near rim and the far rim edge falling near the 9 inch line Stands approximately 3 inches tall per the profile tape photograph, with the tape hooked on the table surface beside the bowl rather than against it, so read the height as a close estimate. Capacity and foot diameter were not measured with the tape, and bidders should verify all dimensions from the photographs Decoration is the full Desert Rose border in raised relief under a glossy glaze: opened five-petal pink roses with elongated yellow centers dotted in dark brown, sculpted pink buds with green calyx leaves standing proud of the rim, green leaves in two tones, and a continuous thorny olive to brown vine following the scalloped rim Interior is plain cream white below the border; exterior is glazed white Underside is glazed white with a recessed foot ring and small round stilt or kiln-support points, which are normal firing artifacts of manufacture rather than damage Backstamp, photographed close up, is the brown dotted oval reading GLADDING, McBEAN & CO. in the top ring, MADE IN U.S.A. in the bottom ring, with the copyright and registered symbols beside Franciscan in script over EARTHENWARE, and the letter T struck beneath the bottom ring Attribution note Desert Rose was introduced in 1941 by Gladding, McBean & Co. of Los Angeles, California, and became the best-selling pattern of American dinnerware ever produced, with California manufacture continuing into the mid-1980s. Replacements, Ltd. and the Gladding, McBean Franciscan archive document the mark sequence: the earliest strikes are dark circular stamps reading Franciscan, Made in California, U.S.A., Hand Decorated with the Gladding, McBean & Co. name, generally placed in the 1940s into the 1950s. The brown dotted oval bearing GLADDING, McBEAN & CO. in the top ring, as found on this bowl, follows the circular stamp. Gladding, McBean was absorbed into the Interpace Corporation in the early 1960s, so INTERPACE ring marks are later, roughly the mid-1960s through the 1970s, and usually add a two-part number with OVEN SAFE / COLOR FAST. Later Wedgwood-era marks read England or Portugal rather than U.S.A., so the MADE IN U.S.A. line confirms California manufacture. The single letter beneath the mark is a factory or decorator letter rather than a date. The mark reading, era assignment, pattern identification, piece designation, and all dimensions given here are offered as the consignor's photo-based opinion and are not guaranteed. Bid on the item as pictured. Condition Used vintage condition, sold as-is, with flaws that a bidder needs to understand before bidding. The bowl was photographed from overhead into the interior, in raking-light profile, in close detail on the border and sculpted buds, on the rim edge from two angles, and on the underside and backstamp. The painted decoration is strong and the sculpted rosebuds are crisp. The rim edge has bare flaked spots where the glaze and the brown vine decoration have chipped away, exposing dull tan body underneath. Two adjacent losses are visible in one rim close-up, the larger roughly 3/8 inch and the smaller roughly 1/4 inch, and a third smaller bare flake spot appears in the second rim close-up. These read as genuine glaze and edge chips rather than reflections or manufacturing skips, and they are the most significant condition issue in this lot. The interior