Description:  Probably unique in the Canton pattern, Shaving Bowls were exported to Europe as early as the 1730s in other patterns. Shaving bowls have a wide rim from which a semi-circular piece is removed. Thus, the bowl is held up to one’s throat as the person shaves or is shaved by a barber. We believe most of them were oval but some round ones probably were also made.

The only Canton shaving bowl we have seen or heard about is in a Philadelphia house museum and that was many years ago. When we find our notes from that visit and/or contact the museum we will hopefully have more information and a picture to share. In the meantime, a non-Canton shaving bowl may be seen on page 155 of Made In China which shows the collection of Leo and Doris Hodroff at Winterthur. This book was published in 2005, The Henry Francis du Pont Museum, Inc., Ronald W. Fuchs II & Davis S. Howard.