Rosewater Bottle

This gem-encrusted bottle (or gulabpash) was probably made in the Mughal imperial workshops and is inscribed with its weight for the treasury records. A similar bottle was removed from Delhi in 1739 and taken to Russia in 1741 by the embassy of the Iranian ruler Nadir Shah. At Indian courts rosewater was sprinkled over guests at the end of a meal; it was also sprinkled at larger social gatherings as a sign of favour and hospitality.