CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.

According to the Roman naturalist, Pliny, the Romans believed that rock crystal was formed from rain-water and snow (The Natural History, 37.9). Indeed, the etymology of the word crystal comes from the Greek word, “kyrstallos,” which derives from “kyros,” meaning, “frost, cold, icy”. As the stone was thought to be akin to ice and therefore intolerant of heat, vessels made of it were always reserved for cold drinks or liquids.

This beautiful vessel, sculpted in the form of a fish, demonstrates the quality and skill of Roman craftmanship. The body is delicately hollowed through the open mouth for containment of a precious liquid, with the dorsal and ventral fins perforated for suspension. Due to the limited sources of the precious stone and the intricate process of carving the raw material, rock crystal vessels were rare and expensive luxury objects that commanded vast sums in Imperial Rome. Pliny records the popularity of the material, noting how a woman paid 150,000 sesterces for a single basin made of crystal (The Natural History, 37.10). The stone was also considered worthy of imperial rank because once it was broken, it could not be repaired. It is also described how Nero, "on receiving tidings that all was lost, in the excess of his fury, dashed two cups of crystal to pieces; this being his last act of vengeance upon his fellow-creatures, preventing any one from ever drinking again from these vessels" (Pliny, op. cit.).