Vintage Turquoise Fiesta Covered Onion Soup Bowl

Copyright 2009 - Kimberly Clay

The vintage Turquoise Fiesta Covered Onion Soup bowl is a classic piece of Fiestaware that is snapped up at elevated prices wherever it appears. So why is it so special in comparison to other products in the range? To understand that, you first have to know a little about the history of Fiesta dinnerware, fired by the Homer Laughlin China Company of Newell, West Virginia.

Designed by the company’s ceramist, Frederick Hurton Rhead, it was first introduced to the public at the Pottery and Glass Exhibition in Pittsburgh, PA in January of 1936. Although it was not the first solid color dinnerware, Fiesta was the first that could be purchased by the piece allowing customers to have a different color for each setting, or all their dinner plates of one color, all their soup bowls another, and so on. This concept of mix-‘n-match in solid color designs caught the imagination of the public, and together with its crisp art deco style, was certainly the basis for its great popularity.

People could not only design their own color schemes, but could also build their collections one or two pieces at a time rather than purchasing an entire dinner set. Although common now, this was a radical departure from convention in 1936. Only full dinner sets were available back then, and although if a piece was broken another could be ordered, they were not put on sale in single units.

This potentially made acquiring a good dinner set expensive, particularly for newly-weds. However, with the creation of the Fiesta dinnerware line, they could start their set with as few as two pieces of each of the more commonly used dinner plates and bowls and gradually build up. The whole concept was very well received.

There were initially 37 different affordable pieces, ranging from candleholders and ashtrays to large serving dishes, each in five different colors: red, yellow, green, cobalt blue and ivory with others added later. Turquoise was added in 1939, and has often been described as more of a “robin’s egg blue” color.

The Fiesta line of dinnerware sold very well, but then came America’s participation in World War II in 1942, and sales slumped. The larger pieces were discontinued due to a lack of demand, and the color range was cut: the Fiesta red, said to be collected by Andy Warhol along with the cobalt blue range, was dropped due to the concern of the United States government over the use of uranium in its manufacture. In common with other ceramic companies, uranium oxide was used in the glaze to impart the rich self-reflecting red color.

Until then, only one or two specialized pieces that did not sell well had been discontinued, and one of these was the turquoise Fiesta covered onion soup bowl. Its production ceased in 1937 – just a few months after its introduction. It was the second piece to be discontinued, the first being a divided 12 inch plate.

Only a limited number had ever been manufactured, and the specialization inferred by its name, and the Great Depression of 1936, did not help sales. Perhaps if the ‘onion’ had been left out of the name, it might have sold better. But, the situation is that because of the relatively low numbers produced, it is in great demand today as a collector's item. The color itself was not discontinued at that time, only the piece.

In fact the turquoise covered onion soup bowl, complete with lid, is considered by collectors to be the flagship of the vintage Fiesta line these days. One sold on eBay for almost $9,000. They are snapped up very quickly when they appear on the market, and sellers can almost name their price these days.

One of the reasons for its rarity is that the color was introduced to the Fiesta dinnerware line just before the first onion soup bowl was produced, hence the reason why so few were fired. Even damaged pieces command high prices, so if you have one with a chip or crack it will not deter collectors. If you have a piece that has been chipped, then that is even better because they can be professionally restored.

The size of the turquoise Fiesta covered onion soup bowl is 6 inches wide by 4 inches deep, with a total height of 5 inches. So it is not a massive piece, but then who eats a great deal of onion soup! That aside, it is a beautiful object that is a testament to the wonderful craftsmanship and design of the entire Fiestaware line. It has that definitive art deco look, and worth every cent you would pay for it.