Saucer with roses in a basket c. 1795

This delicate saucer, adorned with roses in a basket, was crafted by the Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur. Notice the central rose motif, a symbol deeply rooted in Western culture. From ancient Greece, where it was associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, to its prevalent use in Christian iconography representing the Virgin Mary, the rose carries a heavy weight of symbolism. The rose is not merely a pretty flower; it is a vessel of shared cultural memory. Consider Botticelli's "Birth of Venus," where roses fall from the heavens, or the rose windows of Gothic cathedrals, each iteration layering new meanings onto this enduring symbol. Its presence here, on this porcelain saucer, speaks to our collective, often subconscious, yearning for beauty and perfection, embodying love, and evoking a sense of nostalgia. This reflects the cyclical nature of symbols, constantly resurfacing and evolving across different epochs.