Frankoma Pottery Lazybones Desert Gold Set Of Six Cups And Saucers Mint Condition
Product Description And Additional Pictures
We are offering a set of six cups and six saucers from the Frankoma Pottery Company in the Lazybones pattern, Desert Gold color. This set was introduced by Frankoma Pottery in 1953 and is truly mid-century in character, with clean, concise lines and a lovely, understated linear swirl ornamentation on the face of the plates. This set of six cups and six saucers is in mint condition, with no chips, cracks or obvious signs of use. The cups bear the impressed marks 4C and Frankoma on their base and measure 2-3/4” high and are 3” wide at the mouth. The lovely saucers are 5-7/8” in diameter and have the ‘FRANKOMA’ name in raised capitals on the base. Please view our photos which capture the clean lines of these cups and saucers, ornamented only by the simple swirl design and the granular beauty of their glaze!
BRIEF HISTORY: John Frank was a ceramics art professor at the University of Oklahoma when he started the Frankoma Pottery Company. He started the pottery operations in 1933, producing vases and other types of art pottery. He initially used a beige clay from the Arbuckle Mountains, known today as Ada clay. Frank eventually left the university, moving his family in 1938 to Sapulpa, Oklahoma, and set up a pottery on Route 66 just outside of Tulsa. The new plant began operations in June of 1938. Frank used Ada clay for about 16 years at his Sapulpa pottery; however, in 1954 he switched to a local, reddish clay now known as Sapulpa clay. The change in the clay sources made it easier to date Frankoma Pottery pieces. If the clay on the bottom of the piece appears to be tan in color, then it was created pre-1955 from Ada clay. If the clay is a red color, then it was likely produced after 1955 when Frank began producing pieces from the local Sapulpa red clay. Prior to the clay change, Frank realigned his business from the production of art ware to focus on dinnerware. He first introduced the Southwestern “Wagon Wheel” line (1946), which featured a bas-relief wagon wheel as its central design motif. After introducing this tremendously popular line, Frank introduced a Mayan-Aztec design (1947), and in 1948 introduced the famous Plainsman dinnerware line, which was supposed to be evocative of the west. The Lazybones dinnerware line followed in 1953, and the design of this dinnerware line was evocative of the mid-century aesthetic, with its clean lines and subtle grace.
Over the course of business operations, Frank and his family experienced a number of serious business setbacks. The Sapulpa plant burned to the ground twice, and the business suffered from ongoing financial problems. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1990, and Frank's daughter sold the struggling company in 1991. The company was sold multiple times before May of 2011, when its contents were auctioned off. The original Frankoma Pottery molds and trademark name were sold to a limited liability company which is producing limited amounts of Pottery.
Shipping for our mint condition, mid-century set of 6 each Frankoma Pottery Company cups and saucers is $40.00 to the 48 contiguous United States. Please contact us for a shipping quote outside of the lower 48 United States @ myantiquarians@gmail.com
