This item is part of a set of four very similar pieces belonging to the Nautical and Aeronautical Collection of the Museum of Angra do Heroísmo, displayed in the museum’s permanent exhibition “From the Sea and the Land… a History in the Atlantic.”
With a distinctive quadrangular profile, these objects are commonly referred to as “on-board bottles,” as they were widely used during the age of sail to carry wine or olive oil. They were typically secured on wooden bases of the same shape, ensuring stability during voyages.
In January 2018, on the coast of a remote Australian island, a family on an outing discovered a brown glass bottle of similar appearance to the one presented here. The bottle was sealed and contained a message inside. Subsequent investigation, conducted and verified by experts, revealed that the message dated back to 12 June 1886 and that the bottle had been cast into the sea from the German sailing ship Paula, somewhere in the Indian Ocean, during a voyage from Cardiff, Wales, to present-day Indonesia. The bottle has been exhibited at the Western Australian Museum.
