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Barber's basin: C.1516-1928

An image of Barber's basin
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Alternative views

An image of Barber's basin
Current Location: Gallery 27 (Glaisher)

Maker(s)

Production: Temple Back Pottery (Possibly)

Entities

Categories

Description

Tin-glazed earthenware painted in blue with barber's implements

Buff earthenware, coated with bluish-white, shiny tin-glaze, and painted in blue. Circular with deep curved sides, and a wide flange with a depression for a soap ball, and a D-shaped area cut out. The inside is decorated with two concentric circles enclosing implements associated with barbers: a comb; locks of hair, a folding cut-throat razor, a shaving brush, a soap-ball and two lancets (?). Also cross-bones indicative of the barber's roll as a surgeon. The flange is decorated with two formal borders, perhaps stylized leaves.

Notes

History note: William Fuller Maitland collection, Stansted Hall, Stansted, Essex; Stansted Hall sale, September 1922; bought by Mr J. Wordingham, dealer, Hope House, Coram Road, Norwich, from whom purchased in Cambridge for £4 on 21 November 1922 by Dr J.W.L. Glaisher FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge.

Legal notes

Dr J.W.L. Glaisher Bequest

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 26.3 cm
Height: 7.2 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928-12-07) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr

Dating

18th Century, third quarter
George III
Circa 1760 CE - 1765 CE

Note

The basin was held up to the customer’s or master’s chin to prevent lather from falling onto their clothes.

Components of the work

Decoration composed of high-temperature colour ( blue from cobalt)

Materials used in production

bluish white and very shiny Tin-glaze
buff Earthenware

Techniques used in production

Tin-glazing : Buff earthenware, probably thrown or thrown over mould, coated in bluish-white, very shiny tin-glaze, and painted in blue

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.1516-1928
Primary reference Number: 72129
Old object number: 4013

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 30 April 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Barber's basin" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/72129 Accessed: 2025-12-05 16:56:13

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/72129 |title=Barber's basin |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 16:56:13|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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