This style of shaving mug is sometimes called a scuttle, but it's not what we mean by a scuttle now. Perhaps call it a "muttle"? If this was made in the 19th century, it would be my oldest shaving related item. I have no idea when it was made, though; it could be a modern reproduction. It's a 19th century style, but these were very common, mass produced items, I believe. You can go on eBay or Etsy and pick one up any day of the week. Its value is from the fact that I like having it. The rather shallow concavity at the top isn't the best for holding soap firmly. I cut up some Arko, though, pressed it in there, and that works quite well. There are holes at the bottom to drain out excess water from the soap. Filling the mug with hot water, the brush can be put inside the spout to soak while I shower. Then, load the brush, face lather, and rest the brush on the back of the handle as in the picture. It's possible that a straight razor was supposed to rest there instead.
Wow, that is beautiful. I recently saw 3 "muttles" at an antique shop near here. None were as nice or large as that though. And the antique shop lady was very proud of them except she had one of them listed as a "tea bag cup" which made the 13 year old inside me chuckle a bit, but it was priced much less than the others. I didn't correct her in case I wanted to go back and get it later. Nice piece Slivovitz.
Looks great! Also, thanks for making the old style muttle make sense. I know the history behind the scuttle / muttle with regard to no running hot water available. What I could not wrap my mind around until just now was how you created a lather unless you used a separate bowl. Now I get it; face lathering. I am not a fan of face lathering, but it seems that perhaps that was / is the norm for many people.
Very nice looking. I've got to get a better looking mug myself, have always wondered how those work as well. Just last week determined to get soap back into regular rotation I've finally figured out how to face lather and get slick lather out of my soaps. I've failed miserably trying to lather in a bowl with soap.
That is a very nice scuttle you have! If your scuttle has a bowl with a rounded bottom, Truefitt & Hill soap might fit well. Some wetshaving forum dwellers may not call it a scuttle, but that is the traditional and commonly used name for that type of shaving mug.
