{HISTORY}

When it came to aristocrats in the 1940s, you had your pick.

There was an Aristocrat brandy, a Westinghouse refrigerator called the Aristocrat 10, a series of scatter rugs known as the Aristocrat Embossed, a menagerie of floral Aristocrat fabrics by Skinner, and there was this dish pattern called the Aristocrat made by Homer Laughlin for their Eggshell Nautilus series. 

Akin to its noble nature, this Homer Laughlin pattern is a regal mix of form, function, and color.  Featuring golden swags around the rim and sweeping floral bouquets of pink, blue, orange, and yellow flowers around the middle, this pair of footed cream soup bowls has an urn-like shape with a wide bowl, a pedestal setting, and artistically styled handles. Originally, intended for serving soup, they would have come with matching underplates too to prevent drips from reaching the tabletop, but there is something delightful about the fact that these two are missing their companions - you get to see their unique shape more clearly. 

Long known for its delicate and graceful aesthetics, Homer Laughlin's Nautilus series featured dishware that contained highly detailed embossing and unique flourishes in the form of swirls and fan shapes. Popular and complimentary with a variety of different patterns, in 1937, HL introduced Eggshell Nautilus, which combined the beauty of the Nautilus shape with a creamy-colored lightweight clay. An instant hit among dishware collectors from the 1930s onward, Eggshell Nautilus was available in a wide variety of patterns and was in production through the 1960s before being discontinued.

Elegant and sophisticated, this pair of footed cream bowls was made in 1946 in Homer Laughlin's West Virginia pottery factory. We love that they offer all sorts of possibilities when it comes to food presentation and display. So pretty piled high with berries, colorful scoops of sorbet, whipped cream wonders, or a host of other foods, it would also be lovely to incorporate them into table centerpiece displays as holders for fresh flower bouquets, succulent gardens, pillar candles or topiary art. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

 - Matching set of two

 - Aristocrat pattern

 - Stamped on bottom with maker's mark and date code

- Colors include gold, ivory, mustard, blueberry, raspberry, almond, pale pink, spring green, pale orange and sage

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition, these two contain no chips, cracks, spots, or staining with the exception of one very tiny (less than 1/8th inch in size) chip that is practically invisible along the rim of one dish (please see photo). The gold stripe towards the bottom of the dish is very faint on both bowls and there is light wear in some areas around the gold rim as expected with age. Other than that these two are in marvelous shape with clear imagery and colorful florals.

{SIZE}

Each bowl measures 5" inches (diameter) x 2.25" inches (height) and weighs 8 oz.