The History and Significance of the Wimbledon Plate
The History and Significance of the Wimbledon Plate
By Keith Mado July 12, 2024 11:46
In Wimbledon, the Men's Singles Champion receives The Challenge Cup, at the same time, the Ladies' Singles Champion takes home The Venus Rosewater Dish, two of the sport's most iconic trophies with a history dating back to 1877 and 1886, respectively. The plate has been known over the years as The Ladies' Singles Trophy but is generally considered the most loved prize in tennis. Made in 1864 by Birmingham silversmiths Elkington & Co., the dish is a copy of a plate made c.1489-10 by German metalworker Caspar Enderlein, which was itself based on a model produced from an original 16th-century pewter fashioned by French carver Francois Briot.
The Venus Rosewater Dish was first won by Blanche Bingley in 1886, inaugurating a tradition that lives on to the present. It is a historical dish created alongside the Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament, starting in 1877. It has been one of tennis's most enduring icons for greatness and recognition in women's sports.
The Wimbledon Plate, Design, and Physical features
The Venus Rosewater Dish: 18+3⁄4 inches (48 cm) diameter, partially gilded silver salver with gilt renaissance strapwork and foliate motifs in relief against a matte-finished ground. At its center is Sophrosyne, the personification of temperance and moderation, surrounded by Classical Deities and Attici Busti, as well as Minerva, presiding over the seven liberal arts around a border to the rim with strapwork ornament.
The Significance and Importance of the Wimbledon Plate
The dish embodies excellence, tradition, and the pursuit of perpetual sporting greatness synonymous with the world-renowned Wimbledon Championships. Embodying classical gods, elements, and the figure of Sophrosyne in a dish that marks cultural and historical symbolism indicates how art meets sport with tradition.
Role and Significance in Traditional Wimbledon Customs
Traditionally, the Ladies' Singles champion has the honor of serving on the opening display court and walks a lap of honor around Centre Court to show off her trophy to photographers. At the All-England Club, in Wimbledon's leafy south London suburbs, that dish remains on display to this day as a physical link between past and present champions and also-rans shaking hands through the undying stardust of years.
Famous Players Who Were Awarded the Wimbledon Plate
The Venus Rosewater Dish has been awarded to some of the best tennis players in history for years. Those women have made a huge difference in Wimbledon and who can play and win the sport. The names of the champions from 1884 to 1957 are etched into the bowl, whereas all other winners from then on are shown on a cast-designed fascia. Prominent bowl winners range from Blanche Bingley in 1886 to other champions who have added defenders over time, all contributing greatly to Wimbledon's history as a showcase for female tennis players.
With such a rich history, cultural relevance, and tradition within the Wimbledon tennis championships, it is little wonder that the Venus Rosewater Dish remains an emblem of one of the sport's oldest grand slams. Its timeless aesthetics, its deep symbolic meaning, and the purpose of celebrating some of the greatest female athletes in history are all part and parcel of what defines Wimbledon as a first-class winner-take-all affair that embodies excellence at every turn throughout this sport.
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