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antique 18th c. Chinese export porcelain barber's basin w/ monogram for nobleman

$ 263.99

Availability: 86 in stock
  • Color: Multi-Color
  • Age: Pre-1800
  • Type: barber's basin
  • Condition: excellent condition for its age. Please read the full description and closely examine the photos
  • Primary Material: Porcelain & Pottery
  • Original/Reproduction: Antique Original
  • Region of Origin: China

    Description

    This is a very special piece indeed: a barber's basin for shaving (or bloodletting / bleeding) from about 1740.  It was made in China for the European market, and bears the monogram of the nobleman who ordered it.  Judging by the fact that the monogram is surmounted by a coronet with strawberry leaves and silver balls, the original owner would have been a marquess / marquis / marqués / marchese; a high-ranking aristocrat.  The monogram itself appears to be "AA", although that's open to interpretation.  The floral decorations, gilding, etc., are of course entirely done by hand, and very well done, at that.
    The basin measures a substantial 13.5" (34.3cm) by 11" (28cm).  The foot is twice pieced for a hanging cord, so it could be displayed on the wall between uses; these were very costly luxury items intended to be shown-off to guests.
    Remarkably, there are no chips, cracks or repairs!  There is some surface wear, as one would expect with a piece of hand-enameled porcelain that is nearly 3 centuries old.  On the corner of one of the sides of the neck cut-out, there is a tiny (1mm) bare area, where there is no glaze, but I believe this happened in the kiln (probably the result of a bubble in the glaze), rather than it being a flake that was knocked off of the glaze afterwards.  Either way, it was too small for my camera to take a closer photo of, but I wanted to mention it anyway.
    The basin came out of an estate here in San Francisco about 8 years ago, where it had been owned for at least 50 years.  I guarantee it 100% to be Chinese export porcelain from the 18th century.
    If you live in the San Francisco area, I would encourage you to inspect it in person.  We can bring it to you, or arrange to meet at a mutually-convenient location.
    Please note that payment options are PayPal or cash on delivery.  Please contact us to arrange for payment and delivery or shipping.
    It will be very well-packaged to protect it during shipping.  Because we may need to fabricate a box, please understand that we require up to 5 days for handling.
    If you are a local buyer, we will deliver it at no charge, and if you prefer to pay in-person, we offer that service.
    A note to buyers in China: the mailing address you have on-file with EBay must be the address we ship to, and it must be written in Latin text and Arabic numerals (NOT in Chinese).
    We have had purchases by bidders in China returned before because the address they had on-file was written in Han characters, and the US Postal Service will NOT accept such addresses.  If you are unwilling to abide by this rule, you cannot bid on our items.  Thank you for understanding.
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    About me: I was an antiques dealer in San Francisco for four decades, and have collected antiques myself for more than 60 years.  And now that I am in my 80s and have retired, my son-in-law is helping me sell things that I've personally collected, or have had in stock (and that stock isn't being replenished anymore).  With his help, I will do my best to always give accurate and honest descriptions of everything I offer.  He bought me a computer and is teaching me how to use it, but he will also be helping with photography, correspondence, packing and shipping.  We're a good team.