D2522. Large Blue and White Rosewater Dish

Delft, circa 1680

Attributed to Samuel van Eenhoorn, owner of De Grieksche A (The Greek A) factory from 1678 until 1686

The domed center with an Asian figural medallion within a raised ring encircled by floral lappets and interrupting a scene of a dignitary and a warrior with their attendants above two boys with a water buffalo painted across the interior.

DIMENSIONS
Diameter: 47.3 cm. (18.6 in.)

PROVENANCE
The Kitty Valkier-Schreurs Collection, Belgium;
Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam;
The Dr. Günther Grethe Collection, Hamburg

LITERATURE
Described and illustrated in Aronson 2004, p. 58, no. 59

NOTE
Rosewater dishes, with their shallow central well and exaggerated wide rim, were designed to hold rosewater or other scented liquids. These liquids were used for perfuming the air, refreshing hands, or cleansing after meals in an era before modern hygiene practices. Typically circular in shape, the wide rim often served as the primary decorative surface, showcasing intricate designs that highlighted the skill of the artisans.

These dishes were used in elite dining settings or as gesture of refinement and cleanliness. Beyond their functionality, rosewater dishes served as important status symbols. Their intricate decoration and association with luxury made them highly prized possessions among the upper classes, often displayed prominently when not in use.

SIMILAR EXAMPLES
A dish of this form, featuring Asian figures, is illustrated by Boyazoglu 1983, p. 109, no. 210, and in Boyazoglu and De Neuville, p. 44, no. 39. Another example is in the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam (inv. no. A4027), and illustrated in Kunstnijverheid en Tegels 1600-1800, p. 107. A dish of 40.9 cm.(16 in.) in diameter with figures in a hilly landscape, a family crest at the top of the upper rim, and the initials SB on the lower rim. Another rosewater dish with a diameter of 48.1 cm. (19 in.) decorated in a Ming Transitional style with figures part of ceremonial practices, where guests would in garden landscape vignettes is in the Museum of dip their fingers into the scented water—a luxurious Fine Arts, Boston (inv. no. 2012.577).