This head is 5" tall. There is no damage to it, but it has over a pound of razor blades inside.  After the Safety Razor was invented, many barbers gave up the straight edge shavers. With a new blade each shave they need a place to put them CAS was already making head planters, and these were very similarly made. This one is a rare beauty made between 1942 and 1956.

"1942-1956 Madison Wisconsin

The Ceramic Arts Studio of Madison (CAS) produced decorative figurines, wall plaques, salt and pepper sets, and head vases from 1942 until its closing in 1956.  Its ware was distributed nationally to stores such as Marshall Fields and Gumps.

The company was originally formed in 1940 by Lawrence Rabbitt, a University of Wisconsin student who had received a WPA grant to research   Wisconsin clay.  Rabbitt produced hand-thrown pottery that he sold locally in Madison.  In January 1941, Rabbitt went into partnership with another UW student, Reuben Sand. Sand undertook marketing and distribution of the firm’s products, produced primarily by Rabbitt.

In 1942 Rabbit left the firm and Betty Harrington began modeling the figurines for which the firm is primarily known today.  CAS figurines that originally sold for two or three dollars in the 1950s can now command hundreds of dollars in the collectibles market.

CAS products are noted not only for their original stylings, but for their consistently high quality of workmanship and decoration.  Produced in a single-firing, quality control was strict. At its most successful, CAS sold 250,000 figurines annually. Japanese imports in the 1950s eventually undercut the CAS market and led to the company’s demise.

In 1998 a Wisconsin State Historical marker was erected at the site of the old studio on Blount Street in Madison. The text of the sign reads:

At this site, 8-12 North Blount Street, the Ceramic Arts Studio of Madison operated from 1940 until its closing in 1956. Founded by Lawrence Rabbitt and Reuben Sand, the company was one of the largest manufacturers of figurines in the world, distributing up to 500,000 pieces annually to better gift and department stores. The vases, figurines, and salt and pepper sets—designed chiefly by Betty Harrington—were known nationally for their great originality and consistently high standards of manufacture." wisconsinpottery.org