Why is the Women's Wimbledon Trophy a Plate?

The Women's Wimbledon trophy, the Venus Rosewater Dish, has been very much part of The Championships since 1886. Being a platter or basin, and thus unlike the traditional trophy/cup shape of most trophies at that time, other questions about its design are raised: Why was this dish chosen as the format for Wimbledon's main prize? 

Background and History

The Venus Rosewater Dish dates to the 19th century. It was first played in 1886 when women were beginning to be allowed into the Wimbledon Championships, which had previously been restricted solely to men. The trophy is a copy made in 1864 by Daniel Elkington, after which the original fire-gilded silver was melted down that year. This history reveals the plate as a physical presentation of women entering The Grand Tournament and cementing its tradition.

The Symbolic & Practical Thinking Behind the Plate Design

The originality of the Venus Rosewater Dish plate layout is sexually symbolic and practical. Highly detailed Classical mythology decorations are the theme of this dish, with Sophrosyne, personification, temperance, or moderation situated in the central boss surrounded by other icons and gods from antiquity. The salver has a gently sloping bowl with an everted rim supported on three winged figures beneath, all decorated in relief to the silver and surrounded by gilt Renaissance strapwork and foliate motifs. The symbols for temperance and the liberal arts on the dish signal a message of moderation, sorted intellectual preoccupations that can be aligned with those imposed by noble tennis players.

The design of the plate could also have been sexually and culturally relative to earlier periods during the 1800s. Women during those times were traditionally the keepers of hearth, and what better way to demonstrate temperance and moderation than on a vessel that was also symbolic of home?

Image of the Plate Trophy & Controversy

It's been labeled by some as a symbol of sexism, with suggestions that its roots lie in the 'barefoot and pregnant' sexist environment created during 19th-century expectations for women. The debate over the symbolism and meaning of the plate trophy has already altered attitudes toward it, underpinning a complex set of interrelations between tradition, gender representation, and sport.

Contribution to Representing Women's Tennis and Wimbledon Tradition

The Venus Rosewater Dish has a rich history and tradition as part of the wider Wimbledon Championships culture. It represents the accomplishments and contributions of female tennis players on their journey to professional success. Though the symbol has been disputed and argued about throughout history, the plate trophy is a vital part of Wimbledon's lineage, symbolizing different times gone by and changing ideals within sports for women.

With a deep historical background and an ever-familiar design, the Venus Rosewater dish is a proud symbol of success in women's tennis that only adds to the eclectic list of traditions at the Wimbledon Championships.

ncG1vNJzZmiekaOus6%2FHZ5qopV%2BXubCz0mirnqaensBww8eyZKKrXam1pnnWqKSepqNixKq5waWcnaeeYsGzu8%2BhsGaZXaW5osDE