Samovar

For more than 250 years, the samovar has occupied an honoured place in Russian homes as the centrepiece of the table, around which life revolved. It remains most stable attribute of domestic coziness. Step by step a peculiar ritual of tea-drinking emerged and was adopted in every Russian homes. Drinking tea from the samovar was a way of life.

In the 18-th century in the Urals and Tula samovar-kitchens were invented, they were divided into three parts in two of them the meals was cooked, in the third tea. Sbitennik and samovar-kitchen were samovar prototypes.

There are different versions of the first samovars manufacture, they were produced in the Urals, Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Tula, later in Vladimirskaja, Jaroslavskaja and Vjatskaja provinces. The first samovar factory was founded in Tula by Nasar Usitsin in 1778. The town of gunsmiths became familiar to all the world as the center of samovar manufacture due to rich ore deposits, highly qualified masters who worked metals and location of Tula in the vicinity of Moscow.

Samovars were made from cupronic-kel, red and green copper, pinchbeck, in some cases from silver. Sometimes they were plated with gold, silver, but basic metal was always brass. In the course of centuries samovar shapes changed. By the end of the 19-th century their quantity reached 165. It was almost impossible to mechanize samovars manufacture completely. Tools were also unchanged. By hand assembly five-six samovars per day were produced.

Samovar was not only the feature of home comfort, the symbol of Russian hospitality, but also the sign of good circumstances. Among monuments of folk domestic art samovars occupy specific place. They may be considered not only as domestic utensils, some of them are real works of applied arts. Each true master wanted to astonish the customers be their creative fantasy. Strict design, durability in combination with decorative qualities caused interest to samovars on the part of the people all over the world.

In coal samovars water was heated by charcoal, kerosene samovars and combined variants, the water in which was heated by any type of fuel. Prices were fixed in dependence of a shape, material and dimension. Simple samovars were sold by poods. Articles of complicated shapes (presents, made to order) were sold by the piece.

During all the 19-th century portable samovars were produced, as a rule, they were many-sided, cubic, right-angled. Production technology was greatly improved for two hundred years. There are used presses, conveyor lines, casting under pressure. At "Shtamp" plant nickel-plating automatic line was introduced. Some samovars are decorated with art rolling. The plant produces samovars of different types: coal of six versions, from 1956 electrical, volume 2-3 litres, for buffets, combined and painted.

Folk traditions exist, develop. Beautiful samovars made as presents are produced at this plant. Tula samovars were often awarded with medals at native and international exhibitions.