Quote Originally Posted by fmlondon View Post
Thank you for the information. It looks as though the first actual modern straight razors were manufactured in France from Huntsman steel?
That all depends on what you mean by modern.

I think pretty much any of us could pick up the razor in van Hoogstraten's painting and shave with it. The chances are good that while the steel wouldn't hold its edge long, it was probably of reasonable quality. High quality steel was made long before Huntsman, but the processes tended to be secret and expensive. The very early razors, like the one in the painting, would have been items for the extraordinarily wealthy.

Quote Originally Posted by fmlondon View Post
From when is the painting?
1667 give or take a year.