The Time of Extravagance and a “Crescent‑Shaped Glass Bottle” from the Collection of Classical Antiquities of the National Museum, Prague

The collection of the National Museum in Prague contains also an atypical crescent‑shaped glass bottle (inv. no. H10-142). It is one of the oldest acquisitions in the collection and it was no longer possible to find any information concerning its provenance. It is a vessel of a curious shape and unknown function, with no known comparanda. Analysis of its elementary composition has shown that it is made of natron glass. In comparison with other samples taken from Roman glass of the 1st–3rd centuries AD from the collection of the National Museum, the difference is minimal; it differs only by a slightly lower concentration of CaO, MgO, TiO2 and MnO. Therefore, it may probably be considered another experimental product of the Roman glassmakers, such as, for example – the rhyta, the flask with doves from Cologne or the small vessels in the shape of various animals.