Help with Italian Pottery

Hello Everyone...

This piece is not marked but looks Italian to me. I cannot figure out the intended purpose. There are two holes, I'm guessing, for hanging it on the wall. But was it also a utilitarian piece, with that cutout area? Measures 10" wide x 3" deep.

Maybe a question for Walter?

Thanks all.

 

Shaving bowl.

 

Thank you, wiscbirddog. I never knew there was such a thing! That cutout did make me think of a mustache cup though

Curiosity continues...think it was meant to be used, considering the holes for hanging it? Also, agree with me on Italian? Wondering about age, too.

 

Just decorative and a modern souvenir.

 

Old style barber shops in Spain have rows of these hanging on the wall. If I remember correctly, in the old days every customer had his own shaving bowl, which is why there were so many on the wall. Could have been the same in Italy.

 

Thanks @daveydempsey.

 

Thanks All

 

By the way, I was thanking Davey because he deleted advertising by an Italian webshop.

 

Must admit...I was a bit curious

 

Yes, it was a bit strange. Shops regularly give it a try if they think they can get away with it. I have a very suspicious mind, so if I come across something that looks like advertising, by someone who joined that day, I alert Davey and leave it up to him to decide if it is.

 

Since it's not food use, I'd go ahead and shave with this if you want to. If you have someone you trust with a straight razor near your throat, that is!

 

Think I'm gonna hang it on the wall...the only thing I shave is my legs!

 

Interesting piece and this is way out of my area of knowledge but it just doesn’t feel Western European to me. I don’t think it’s Italian or Spanish and I’ll be curious to see if someone can identify the country with certainty. I get a vibe that’s more Near or Middle East.

 

The bowl form is European, though.The colour looks Spanish, if anything.

 

It looks very European to me as well, the shape, the design, the colour scheme.

 

Interesting. It just didn’t look Italian to me. I don’t know Spain or Portugal in the same way as Italy but I just didn’t see that piece as Italian. The more I think about it, I could see the south of Spain which would account for those “Eastern” vibes I’m getting. Sorry, got stuck on Italian and just couldn’t go there lol.

 

I learned something new from this thread. Never saw one like that before.

 

That's fascinating. These barber's bowls are really common here - not neccessarily like this make, I mean, but the shape.

 

And Don Quijote wore one as a helmet:

 

Really?!!