What is Franciscan china?

According to Collectors Weekly, Franciscan china refers to a dinnerware line created in the early 1930s in Southern California by Mary K. Grant. Early designs of Franciscan china, known as El Patio, were simple and monochromatic. Later designs, known as Coronado, were characterized by lines, grooves and textures.

Franciscan china patterns evolved in the 1940s to include painted fruits and flowers added to the original design. This led to one of the most popular painted dinnerware designs ever created, the Desert Rose pattern. The Franciscan brand was sold to Wedgwood in 1979, but it remains popular with collectors in 2014.