Sprinkler

Title
Sprinkler
Year/Period
18th-19th century
Region
Probably Gujarat, west India
Object Type
Dimension
Gross measurement: 20.0 x 7.0 cm,
Object size: 20.5 x 7.5 x 7.5 cm
Accession No.
2022-00343

This is a blown glass flask with an elegant, kinked neck. Monochrome rosewater or perfume sprinklers were among the more typical glass wares produced by workshops of Kapadwanj, near Ahmedabad, from the 17th through early 19th century. Flask forms were modelled after earlier metalwork examples from the Timurid or Mughal period. Flasks like this were used to sprinkle cooling rosewater on guests as a mark of hospitality, a tradition that probably originated from Iran but was readily adopted by Hindu and Muslim courts in India. The use of sprinklers became widespread and one special use was for wedding ceremonies - a practice that is shared among many cultures in Iran, South and even Southeast Asia.