Rose water sprinkler

Date1662-1722

MediumPorcelain, hard-paste

DimensionsW: 1 1/8" H: 2 1/4"

Credit LineColonial Williamsburg Foundation

Object numberT125-2013,16

DescriptionFragment of a rose water sprinkler excavated from the site of a 17th-century house located southwest of the Chiswell house, 02GA–0007
Label TextThis small fragment is from a rosewater sprinkler, a form adapted from metal examples used in India or Persia. Rosewater was a popular fragrance used to scent interiors in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Porcelain examples were typically fitted with pierced silver caps. In Europe, grouped together and displayed on furniture or elaborate wall brackets, these vessels were more likely decorative than utilitarian. While a rare find it is not unique as recent excavations have uncovered a fragment of another rose water sprinkler within a 1710-50 context in a privy on Unity Street at the North End of Boston.

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