This barber's bowl was made in the kilns of Jingdezhen in southern China in about 1720-1740, at a time when large quantities of mass-produced porcelain were shipped to the European markets by state companies and private merchants. By this time, the potters in Jingdezhen already mastered the use of pink enamel, which had been introduced in the colour palette for decorating porcelain, glass and metals a decade earlier. Due to the predominance of pink, this kind of porcelain was called famille rose by European collectors of the mid 1800s.

The shape of this barber's bowl imitates a European model made of metal or wood, and it was specially commissioned by European clients. The decoration in polychrome enamels, on the other hand, combines traditional Chinese motifs. In the centre, two gentlemen sit on a mat outdoors playing weiqi, a game using black and white counters on a squared board; on the rim, a band of flowers over a ground of prunus blossoms represents a popular decorative patterns of the time.