SAMOVAR
The samovar is not only a symbol of Russia but also a chapter in the history of metal-based art, a colorful element of Russian customs. The samovar has traditionally been a part of the Russian tea ceremony, a true symbol. Samovars have been around for a long time, but to this day a samovar is a wonderful addition to any home. The samovar is a symbol of Russian hospitality and an excellent gift.
In the distant past, the samovar was not only a symbol of a cozy home but also a sign of the family’s prosperity. Samovars were in use throughout Russian society, from the Imperial court to a peasant hut. Indeed, samovars could be seen everywhere in Russia, but the story of samovars being an undeniable part of any household does not fit with historical reality. Russian peasants mostly used wooden and ceramic dishes, while fairly expensive metal ware, samovars among them, were accessible only to wealthier peasants. Even in the 1870s, when the samovar was more than 100 years old and was widely manufactured, only the richer peasants could afford one.
But let us go back to the samovar’s roots. Samovar-like items could be found in China centuries ago, but they were not used to brew tea. The first officially documented Russian samovars were made in Tula, “in Zarechye, Shtykovaya Ulitsa” in 1778 by brothers Ivan and Nazar Lisitsyns, in their small samovar-making business. The small workshop was founded by their father Fedor Lisitsyn, a gunsmith. In his spare time he worked in his workshop with various articles made of copper. After a while Fedor began making samovars in various shapes and with different types of decor: his samovars looked like barrels, vases with chiseling and engraving, egg-shaped samovars, samovars with dolphin-shaped taps and loop-shaped handles.
Making samovars proved to be quite profitable, and small workshops turned into factories, with former workmen becoming factory managers. In Tula alone by 1850 there were 28 samovar manufacturers, turning out 120,000 samovars a year along with a multitude of other copper articles.
The dictionary definition of the samovar says that it is a device used for boiling water and making tea, but this was not its sole purpose. In inns and guest-houses samovars were used to make food and keep it warm. In the early 19th century samovars were first used to brew coffee. In the 1840s St. Petersburg residents preferred coffee to all other drinks, and a special type of a samovar, kofeinik, or coffee-pot, soon appeared. It was a small container with an in-built spirit stove or a removable box for hot coals. In the first quarter of the 19th century the utilitarian purpose of the coffee-pot was often masked. Coffee-pot makers from St. Petersburg made their coffee-pots to look like cannelured columns or cylinders on a square pediment. The taps and handles were often made in the form of lion masks.
The design of the samovar is fairly simple, although it consists of many parts. In early samovars the water was heated by an inside stove: a tall pipe, which was stuffed with wooden coal. Kerosene- and electricity-heated samovars appeared later. Despite there being various shapes of samovars, most of them were made in a similar fashion. The samovar was made in a series of operations, and involved work of several kinds of craftsmen, from shape-makers to casters and joiners. If the samovar-maker worked in a small workshop alone and put his name on the samovar, he would purchase certain parts, such as handles, taps and lids from other craftsmen or order them ready made wholesale. Samovars dating back to the first quarter of 19th century sometimes contained two brands with initials of different artisans. In some cases whole villages would make certain elements of the samovar. The main work was done by navodilschik, the shape-maker who would cast the “vase,” the body of the samovar, its reservoir, regardless of the shape and type. No matter how the look of the samovar would change (and they were made in barrel, pear, vase, and jar shapes, among others), and no matter what the size of the samovar was (one glass or several buckets), samovars were easily recognized. In the imagination of old masters the samovar was an impressive and fine vessel.
Samovar-makers always had in mind the purpose for which samovars were made when they selected the design, the form and the shape. This was how various types of Russian samovars came to be. No matter how different they were from each other, they were always similar in that they were made for boiling water.
The most widespread type of samovar was the household samovar, which was always placed prominently in the living room or in the kitchen. Samovars were taken on picnics or when traveling, while in the summer they were taken outside into the garden, and on hot summer days to the riverside.
The tea-drinking ritual with its special rules emerged gradually. In the first half of the 19th century it was customary for the wife of the family or her eldest daughter to pour the tea for the family. If the samovar stood on its own small table, then during meals it was moved next to the dinner table. When there were only a few guests, the samovar was placed directly on the table, on a metal tray.
Samovars made of silver or nickel silver were complemented by a metal tea service of the same design. The service included a tea pot, a milk jug, a rinse cup, a strainer, sugar tongs, and a set of teaspoons. Some families had even two samovars: one for daily use and one for guests and holidays.
Families took their samovars with them when they traveled. Special samovars for travelers included tea-service sets with all the things necessary for drinking tea.
Samovars were especially widely used during folk celebrations and on picnics.
Samovar tea was served in inns, at fairgrounds and in city squares. Drinking tea brewed in a samovar gradually became a national tradition.
Samovars were sold at fairs. Separate samovar sections were set up at the largest Russian fairs, such as Makaryevskaya Fair (in the late 18th century) and Nizhny Novgorod Fair, famous in the late 19th and early 20th century. Samovars were specially prepared for delivery, and packaged in boxes filled with straw. Samovars of various size, type, and value were packaged a dozen per box, and it took two people to carry the box. The dozen of “ordinary samovars” cost 90 rubles and weighed a little over 4 poods (about 64 kg). The mid-range price samovars were sold by weight. To increase the weight craftsmen used various tricks, such as inserting heavier pig-iron grilles or filling the spaces with tin. These samovars were made in large numbers for not-so-wealthy customers.
Other kinds of samovars were custom-made for various exhibitions, and some of those samovars were true works of art. These samovars were especially valued. They were often made with inscriptions and dedications, ciphers and monograms. The largest samovar factories had their own stores in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tula and other cities. Other items on sale in the store were metal tea services, tongs, spoons, etc.
Famous coppersmiths and silversmiths worked on custom-made samovars and samovars made in small numbers. Some samovars were based on the designs of artists.
Most samovars were made of copper and its alloys – brass or tombak. Compared to these, copper is relatively softer and less robust. To make the products less expensive and stronger, samovar makers preferred copper alloys. This was why red samovars (made of copper) are rarer than pinkish orange samovars (made of tombak), and golden-yellow (made of brass). Brass and tombak samovars were often patinated, with a beautiful greenish or brownish hue. The brass was silver plated using mercury or the galvanic method, or covered on top with a thin layer of silver (plated). In the second half of the 19th century brass samovars and other metal items were often nickel-plated. Some samovars were made of gilded bronze, Tula steel, Nickel silver (an alloy of copper, zinc and nickel), and cast iron. Many silver samovars have survived to this day. The Veliky Ustyug Chronicles talk about a crystal samovar. Some sources mention samovars made of Majolica.
Red copper samovars and golden yellow brass samovars were polished to a shine. Samovars were very important in decorating the house. The family samovar was placed in the corner of the dining room or by the window on top of a special samovar table or a semi-cupboard. Some houses would have a separate tea room, where the samovar was the main decorative element. Working families in the late 19th – early 20th century would put their samovars on the commode and surrounded them with all kinds of knickknacks and framed pictures. To protect the copper samovar from dust and oxidation, prudent housewives would cover them up with special covers or napkins.
Ever since the first public exhibition of Russian manufacturers in 1829 in St. Petersburg, samovar factories and craftsmen participated in every event. Samovars were showcased at every Russian exhibition abroad, and all the reviewers of artistic or industrial exhibitions mention samovar factory products.
The largest number of samovar factories was located in Tula. By the second half of the 19th century the city became a recognized center of samovar making. Tula samovars and metal accessories were exported abroad. Most samovars made back then bore the factory’s brand.
The artistic level of samovar-making decreased as technological processes and various innovations were introduced in the second half of the 19th century. Samovar shapes and decoration became standardized, and the popular myth that Russian samovars had been accessible to all layers of society began at that time.
The history of the Russian samovar goes back to the 18th century. Today the samovar has been replaced by faster electric tea kettles and coffee pots. Nickel-plated electric and coal-heated samovars are still being produced in places but in small quantities. Samovars are now more of a festival item, a national custom, than something a family needs. Samovars today serve as stylish decorative elements.
