In what century did the samovar appear in Rus'? Who and when invented such a thing as a samovar? The most unusual samovars in history

“...Let’s stab some splinters,
Let's blow up a samovar!
For loyalty to the ancient order!
For living slowly!
Perhaps, and it will steam out the sadness
Soul sipping tea"
Alexander Blok

A samovar, as defined by V.I. Dahl, is “a water-heating vessel for making tea, a vessel, mostly copper, with a pipe and a brazier inside.” This short definition gives the main characteristics of the design of the samovar, and explains its appearance among other utensils.

The darkest question in the history of the Russian samovar is its origin. Some researchers say that similar designs were used in ancient Rome and cite vessels as an example autepsa and caeda, in which used the idea of an internal heater. Autepsa (lat. Аutepsa) was a semblance of a Roman fortress, made of bronze, with towers and battlements and double walls. Hot coals were placed in the middle, over which food could be cooked by placing a cauldron on a tripod. In the same time water was heated in double walls, then it was released through the tap . Such devices also served in Southern Italy and Greece for heating the home, along with braziers and portable stoves.

Caeda (lat. Caeda) was used to prepare a hot mixture of wine, honey and water . The appearance of the vessel resembled pot on three legs . Coals were placed in the middle, empty space, equipped with a grate at the bottom. There was a drink around this space. The vessel was closed with a lid, excluding the holes above the space for coals. Such bronze vessels were very expensive. They were found during excavations of rich villas in Pompeii, a Roman city that was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the 1st century AD.

Others believe that the samovar came to us in Russia from Persia, where it is called a distorted Russian word - “semizar”.

Some researchers believe that we borrowed the samovar from China, where there is a fire kho-go cauldron, a round vessel with a brazier pipe with a grate and a blower, somewhat similar to a saucepan. The "ho-go" pan stands on legs and rests on a cylindrical tray with holes for traction; in China it is still use "ho-go" for cooking. Others recall that the first domestically produced samovars were suspiciously similar to tea urns, common in English use in the 18th century, but in Russia the samovar appeared a hundred years earlier. The samovar gained worldwide fame only after it became the main attribute of Russian tea drinking.

TO 19th century the samovar became characteristic feature Russian life. A samovar on the table could not be seen only in the poorest families. They carefully polished him, and it is no coincidence that they said about the smart and self-satisfied man: “It sparkles like a copper samovar.”

The wide demand for samovars in Russia gave rise to a variety of offers, and samovars began to be made to suit all tastes and budgets. Ceremonial models of samovars were made of gold and silver, nickel-plated, decorated with gems, and covered with enamel. and gave it to famous artists to paint. We tried to impress the buyer with an original design.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the most popular samovars were in the shape of a barrel and a Russian tower. During Patriotic War 1812 Russian officers -the winners brought such samovars with them to Paris and amazed the French. It was then that Europeans appreciated the simplicity of design and ease of use Russian samovar, and he began his victorious march through European countries.

Samovars, including those for export, are usually made with a tray - He protected the table from boiling water. The samovar kit also included rinse - a special cup, into which the remaining water from the bottom of the samovar and unfinished tea from the cups were poured. Expensive models were sold with special tea sets made of the same metal and in the same style as the samovar itself. In addition to the tray and rinse, they included teapot, creamer, sugar bowl, sugar tongs and teaspoons, tea strainer.

The most exquisite and artistic samovars were those that were ordered in a single copy to present as a gift to a noble nobleman.

Thus, in the Moscow Kremlin Museum there is a samovar made at the factory of the Chernikov brothers for Emperor Alexander I. It's made from tampaka - an alloy of copper and zinc, resembling gold in color. There are many applied gold-plated elements on its body - lion heads, armor and laurel wreaths, which were supposed to remind of victory in the War of 1812. The legs of the samovar are made in the shape of a lion's paws, the tap is in the shape of the head of a bird of prey, and the cap is a figurine of an angel playing the lute.

Exclusive models, which were made in a single copy, immediately arose in high demand - everyone wanted the same samovar as the Emperor himself. After waiting out of decency for some time, samovar factories launched mass production of unique samovars, for which there was a high demand - of course, simplifying the material, complex finishing and elaborate design.

It happened that famous artists agreed to make sketches for exclusive models of samovars. So, The sketch of the samovar “Rooster” for the World Industrial Exhibition held in Vienna in 1873 was created by Viktor Vasnetsov. The samovar stands on “rooster legs”, the tap ends in a “rooster head”, and the handles resemble outstretched rooster wings. This unique samovar was awarded a gold medal at the exhibition in Vienna in 1873 .

The past 250 years have not made the samovar a thing of the past. This copper miracle has a truly living soul because such concepts as hospitality and cordiality, friendly communication, home peace and comfort, the personification of which the samovar has always been and remains, remain eternally alive. For a modern person, a samovar helps to better understand what the ritual and traditions of real Russian tea drinking are, and to feel the genuine value of live, unhurried communication. Place it on festive table samovar and you will see how the “tea mood” of the entire feast during Maslenitsa week will change.

Drinking tea while drinking a samovar has long been considered one of the most striking and indicative features of Russian traditional life. The samovar was not an ordinary accessory household, but a kind of personification of prosperity, family comfort, well-being. It was included in a girl's dowry, passed down by inheritance, and given as a gift. Thoroughly polished, it was displayed in the most visible and honorable place in the room.

Many believe that the samovar is a truly Russian invention. However, devices similar to the samovar were known in ancient times, in ancient times.

For example, the ancient Romans, wanting to drink boiling water, took a vessel, filled it with water and threw a larger hot stone into it, causing the water to boil.

Over time, similar devices began to appear in Europe, but with a more advanced design. And in China there was even a device that resembled a samovar in that it had a pipe and a blower.
Russian tea machine, as it was called in Western Europe first appeared in Russia during the reign of Peter I. At that time, the tsar often visited Holland, from where he brought many ideas and interesting objects, among which was a samovar. It was called, of course, differently, with a Dutch flavor, but that name has not reached our times and the device is known as a samovar.

The samovar owes its appearance to tea. Tea was brought to Russia in the 17th century from Asia and was used as a medicine among the nobility at that time.

Tea was imported to Moscow, and later to Odessa, Poltava, Kharkov, Rostov and Astrakhan. The tea trade was one of the extensive and profitable commercial enterprises. In the 19th century, tea became the Russian national drink.

Tea was a competitor to sbiten, the favorite drink Ancient Rus'. This hot drink was prepared with honey and medicinal herbs in sbitennik. The sbitennik looks like a teapot, inside of which there was a pipe for loading coal. There was a brisk trade in sbiten at fairs.

In the 18th century, samovar-kitchens appeared in the Urals and Tula, which were a brotherhood divided into three parts: food was cooked in two, tea in the third. The sbitennik and the samovar-kitchen were the predecessors of the samovar.

Where and when did the first samovar appear? Who invented it? Unknown. It is only known that when going to the Urals in 1701, the Tula blacksmith-industrialist I. Demidov took with him skilled workers and coppersmiths. It is possible that samovars were already being made in Tula at that time.

During the time of Peter the Great, an unprecedented development of industry began in the Urals, a huge number of copper smelters and metallurgical plants were built. It was at one of these factories that they began producing household copper utensils for the population, where they began producing kettles with handles already in the 30s of the 18th century. A little later, factories began to produce cauldrons and distillery stills with pipes.

The first mention of a samovar in historical documents dates back to 1746, but it is impossible to name the exact date and place where the first samovar appeared. However, it is known for certain that by the end of the 18th century, the principles of operation and the structure of the samovar had already been completely formed, and still remain unchanged.

Throughout the history of the development of the samovar, it appearance And decoration changed according to fluctuations in taste. At first they bore the imprint of the Rococo style, then they gravitated towards the Empire style, and at the end of their existence they did not escape the influence of Art Nouveau. But the “internal content” remained traditional. True, at the end of the 19th century a kerosene samovar appeared, and the factory of the Chernikov brothers began producing samovars with a side pipe, which increased air movement and accelerated the boiling process.

The first samovar factory in Russia was opened in 1766 in Moscow by A. Shmakov. But the real revolution in samovar art was made by the Tula people. From the second half of the 19th century, Tula became the “samovar capital”. At that time there were about 80 factories there, producing more than 150 styles of “tea machines”.

Externally, the first samovars were still somewhat different from modern ones. At that time they were intended mainly for use in field conditions, as a result of which they had small sizes and removable legs. The most common volume of samovars was 3-8 liters, although larger volumes of 12-15 liters were also produced for a large number of people. Due to the fact that most of Russia has a rather cool climate, people drank several cups of tea a day. In addition, the heat of the samovar could warm up the room quite well. All this led to the fact that the samovar became very popular among the people, even despite its far from low cost. By the way, the cost of a samovar was determined depending on its weight, that is, the heavier the samovar was, the more expensive it was.

Making a samovar is a rather labor-intensive process. Workers of various specialties were involved in its production: pointers who bent copper sheets and set the shape, tinkers, turners, mechanics, assemblers and cleaners. Craftsmen in the villages made individual parts of the samovar, brought them to the factory, where they assembled the finished products. Entire villages were engaged in the production of samovar parts all year round with the exception of summer, when work was done in the fields.

At first, samovars were made of red (pure) and green copper, cupronickel, and later they began to use cheaper alloys such as brass.

Over time, there were so many different factories producing samovars that in order to identify the manufacturer, they began to put a mark on the lids of samovars corresponding to each factory. It was something like a trademark by which one could recognize the manufacturer.

Tula samovars penetrated into all corners of Russia and became decorations at fairs. Every year from May 25 to June 10, samovars were transported from Tula along the Oka River (to the Oka, samovars were carried on horses) to the Nizhny Novgorod Fair. The river route had a number of advantages: it was cheaper, and samovars were better preserved with this method of transportation.

The first places at the fairs were taken by samovars from Batashev, Lyalin, Belousov, Gudkov, Rudakov, Uvarov, and Lomov. Large manufacturers, for example Lomovs, Somovs, had their own stores in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tula and other cities.

During transportation, samovars were packed in boxes that could hold a dozen products of different sizes and styles, and were sold by weight. A dozen samovars weighed more than 4 pounds and cost 90 rubles.

It was not easy to master the craft of a samovar.

This is what N. G. Abrosimov, an old-time samovar maker in the village of Maslovo, recalls: “I started working as an apprentice at the age of 11. I studied this craft for three and a half years. For the wall (body), brass was cut to a certain size, then it was rolled into a cylinder, and this shape was created in twelve steps. The brass was cut into teeth on one side and then secured along the connecting seam with hammer blows, after which it was carried to the forge. Then the craftsman (fixer) repeated the operations of sealing the seam using hammers and files and each time secured it by annealing in the forge. Boy apprentices ran to the forge from master to master and back and gradually looked closely at how the master worked.

A lot of sweat was shed and sleepless nights were spent before the wall was made according to the manufacturer’s order. If you bring it to Tula to the manufacturer, sometimes the defect will be discovered. A lot of labor has been expended, but there is nothing to gain. The work was hard, but I loved it, it was nice when you made a miracle wall from a sheet of brass.”

The process of making the “Tula miracle” is complex and varied, which involved 12 steps. There was a strict division of labor in production. There were almost no cases when the master made the entire samovar. There were seven main specialties in samovar making:
The pointer - he bent the copper sheet, soldered it and made the appropriate shape. In a week he could make 6-8 pieces of blanks (depending on the shape) and received an average of 60 kopecks per piece.
Tinker - tinned the inside of the samovar with tin. I made 60-100 pieces a day and received 3 kopecks per piece.

Turner - sharpened the samovar on a machine and polished it (at the same time, the worker who turned the machine (turner) received 3 rubles a week). A turner could turn 8-12 pieces a day and received 18-25 kopecks per piece.
A mechanic - he made handles, taps, etc. (handles - for 3-6 samovars a day) and received 20 kopecks for each pair.

The assembler assembled the samovar from all the individual parts, soldered the taps, etc. He made up to two dozen samovars a week and received 23-25 kopecks from one.

Cleaner - cleaned the samovar (up to 10 pieces per day), received 7-10 kopecks per piece.
Wood turner - he made wooden cones for lids and handles (up to 400-600 pieces per day) and received 10 kopecks per hundred.

The process of making a samovar is long before it appears in the form in which we are accustomed to seeing it.

Assembly and finishing were underway at the factories. Manufacturing of parts - at home. It is known that entire villages made one particular part. Finished products were delivered once a week, sometimes every two weeks. They carried finished products for delivery on horseback, well packaged.

Samovars entered every home and became a characteristic feature of Russian life. The poet Boris Sadovskoy in the preface to the collection “Samovar” wrote: “The samovar in our lives, unconsciously for ourselves, takes up a huge place. As a purely Russian phenomenon, it is beyond the understanding of foreigners. In the hum and whisper of a samovar, a Russian person imagines familiar voices from childhood: the sighs of the spring wind, the mother’s dear songs, the cheerful inviting whistle of a village blizzard. You can’t hear these voices in a city European cafe.”

On the eve of the Patriotic War of 1812, the largest enterprise producing samovars was the plant of Peter Silin, located in the Moscow province. He produced about 3,000 of them per year, but by the 1820s, Tula began to play an increasingly important role in samovar production.

The samovar is a part of the life and destiny of our people, reflected in its proverbs and sayings, in the works of the classics of our literature - Pushkin and Gogol, Blok and Gorky.

The samovar is poetry. This is good Russian hospitality. This is a circle of friends and family, warm and cordial peace.
The veranda window entwined with hops, summer night, with its sounds and smells, the charm of which makes the heart skip a beat, the circle of light from a lamp with a cozy fabric lampshade and, of course... a grumbling, sparkling copper, steaming Tula samovar on the table.

Tula samovar... In our language this phrase has long become stable. A.P. Chekhov compares this absurd act, from his point of view, to a trip “to Tula with his own samovar.”

Already at that time there were proverbs about the samovar (“The samovar is boiling - it doesn’t tell you to leave”, “Where there is tea, there is paradise under the spruce tree”, songs, poems.

The newspaper “Tula Provincial Gazette” for 1872 (No. 70) wrote about the samovar as follows: “The samovar is a Friend of the family hearth, the medicine of a frozen traveler...”

The history of the Russian samovar is not too long - about two and a half centuries. But today the samovar is an integral part of Russian tea drinking. Samples of Russian samovars can be found on the antique market. The price of such samovars depends, of course, on the fame of the company or craftsman, on the safety of the sample, and on the material of the product. Prices for collectible samovars start at $500. The most expensive samovars are samovars from K. Faberge, prices for which can reach up to $25,000.

A samovar can create a surprisingly warm and cozy atmosphere in the house, add a unique flavor to family and friendly gatherings, and remind you of long-forgotten, but so pleasant Russian traditions.

It was getting dark. On the table, shining,
The evening samovar hissed,
Chinese teapot heating,
Light steam swirled beneath him.
Spilled by Olga's hand.
Through the cups in a dark stream
The fragrant tea was already running...

In Kolomna. The private collection of the Burov family, presented in the museum, consists of more than 400 samovars. Former military men, the Burovs have been collecting samovars throughout Russia for many years. A huge amount of restoration work has been carried out. About 100 more samovar models are awaiting restoration.

All photos below were taken at the Samovar House in Kolomna.

A samovar is a water heating device that was very convenient in everyday life. Water could be heated on any open fire, for example, by putting a kettle in the stove. But it is obvious that the stove was not lit all day, because it would have consumed too much fuel. In Rus', the stove was heated only once a day, and in cold times in the morning and evening, that is, twice a day. Therefore, when boiling water was needed, a samovar was used.

A samovar requires very little fuel. It boils quickly. It is believed that with proper ignition, a liter of water boils in one minute. Accordingly, 10-liter samovars boiled in 10 minutes. The same volume of electric samovars takes much longer to boil.

"Samovar" - a Russian invention?

From this article you will learn:

History says that the samovar is not a Russian invention. There were water heating devices in other countries, in particular in China, and apparently this was borrowed from China, which was already adapted by Russian craftsmen to our conditions.

Tea came to Rus' in the 17th century, or more precisely in the mid-17th century under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (as you know, this is the father of Peter I). During his reign, merchants began to visit Central Asia. Craftsmen also saw these water heating devices because the history of Chinese devices that heat water by that time was already about 1,700 years old. They were in great demand in society.

Composition in Russian style

Samovars were also produced in Europe. For example, in France. These are the so-called “fountain” samovars. Fire was never lit in such samovars. They had a built-in flask into which broken ice was poured to cool the contents of the samovar and to heat the liquid. Then they took a special cast-iron weight, heated it in the oven, and then put it in the same flask. In such samovars, as a rule, they were made.

Samovars were also made in England. Basically, these were simple copper samovars. In Germany, coffee pots were most often made with alcohol heating at the bottom.

The first mention of a samovar

The first mention of a samovar was found in Rus' in the 1740s. This is the era immediately following Peter I, who died in 1725. And then, in the Urals, in the village of Suksun, at the Suksun copper smelters, somewhere in the inventories, the word “samovar” is mentioned. At the same time, the word “samovar” is found in one of the inventories of the property of the old-class monastery. In those days, samovars were of a rather primitive design. Today the very first samovars are practically nowhere left. Basically, samovars from the 19th century, or the end of the 18th century, have been preserved.

Price for a samovar

Samovars, as an item of trade, were very expensive. In the mid-19th century, during the time of Gogol, or the reign of Nicholas I, the average samovar cost 5-7 rubles, which at that time meant the price of a cow.

Materials for making a samovar

At handmade, the samovar is an extremely difficult product to produce, and this is what determines its high cost.

Throughout the 19th century, samovars were made of copper or brass. Classic brass has a straw-yellow color, like 999 gold. When brass contained more than 80% copper, it had a characteristic reddish color, such an alloy is called tompak. The samovar is accordingly tombak. Such samovars were more expensive and heavier than others. In common people all this was called “samovar” or “gypsy gold”. Gypsies could pool together to buy one copy, cut it into the necessary parts and make fake jewelry from them that could be sold as gold. Although it is known that brass and copper oxidize if water is boiled in them regularly. When heated to 100 degrees, they come into contact with oxygen, which is in the air, and then the so-called. "patina".

Composition in the Samovar House

Types of samovar coatings

Nickel plating (as a coating for a samovar) became possible only at the end of the 19th century with the advent of electricity and the invention of galvanic baths in chemistry. The metal was dissolved in a solution, electricity was supplied to the galvanic baths, the products were immersed there, and then they were covered with a thin layer of nickel. Nickel was good because... this metal is durable and hard. When the samovar was covered with it, it no longer scratched and was more wear-resistant and durable. In addition, nickel hardly tarnishes, so it did not need to be polished so often. But if the samovars are brass or copper, then with constant boiling, literally a month after cleaning, they became covered with a large coating of patina.

Samovars artificially coated with a special coating are also known. This was done in order to deliberately age their appearance.

Methods for cleaning a samovar

In general, samovars were cleaned with fine sand with a small addition of water. The mixture was applied to a cloth and thus cleaned. In addition, samovars were cleaned with ash that remained from burning wood. They also cleaned it with grated brick; for this purpose it was ground into powder, i.e. cleaned with abrasive materials.

Cleaning the samovar was very difficult. The owner spent a lot of time on this, so they polished it only on major holidays.

Shapes (styles) of samovars

The simplest and most common form of samovar is the so-called “jar”.

Samovar “bank” style

In general, there are dozens of samovar shapes, or, as people say, “styles.” The “glass” style is also very popular, when the samovar is narrowed towards the bottom. The glass could be “faceted”, “in three columns”, “in a herringbone column”, “twisted column”, “glass with an oval edge”, “smooth glass” and so on.

Samovar “glass” style

The shapes and styles were strict, but various details and some decorative elements could flow from one style to another. Sometimes, when you look at a samovar, it is very difficult to accurately determine the shape or style.

In general, samovars could have the most bizarre shapes. For example, a samovar in the form of a “gun” (looks like the barrel of an old cannon), “bullet” (rounded towards the bottom), “watermelon” (absolutely round), “pear”, “pumpkin”, “nut”, “vase” (it same as “turnip”, “lobed vases”, “vases with medallions”), in the form of “felt boots” (large and small), “queens”, silver-plated and many others were produced.

Watermelon style samovars

Samovars could have different displacements. The small samovar is called « egoist» . It is designed for one cup of drink. Samovar « tet-a-tet» designed for two cups, etc.

Small samovar

Large volume samovars, the so-called “four-bucket” or “tavern” samovars. Russian-made samovars were very high-quality, thick-walled, and it was believed that how many liters of water goes into a samovar, how much it weighs empty in kilograms. They were very bulky and unportable. They were placed in taverns, markets and other public places.

Below are photographs of some of them.

Festive samovars

Collection exhibit

Kerosene samovars were also produced. At the bottom of such a samovar there was a flask into which kerosene was poured, there was also a wick and a flame regulator. There was also an “alcohol” samovar. Alcohol is poured into the flask, which heats the water when burned. Due to the complexity of their design, kerosene and alcohol samovars were very expensive and were not in great demand.

Road samovars. They differ from standard samovars mainly only in volume and mandatory removable legs for better transportation. They were taken on long journeys.

Army field samovar. Basically, it was intended for officers. This samovar had removable legs, taps on 3 sides for quick dispensing of water, and handles on 4 sides for easy carrying.

Festive Easter samovar. This samovar resembled in appearance Easter Egg. Such samovars were exhibited only once, for Easter week, and on other days they used ordinary samovars. If there were several samovars in the house, this house was considered rich or prosperous.

There is a well-known holiday samovar, in the form of a lantern or the so-called “faceted jar”. It is very thick-walled because the patterns on it were made with acid. There are brass samovars painted with Khokhloma and Zhostovo painting.

Main parts of a samovar

With the exception of small parts, the samovar consists of two large parts: the “body” and the “firebox” (aka jug). Both parts were coated from the inside with food-grade tin, and the soldering of the entire samovar was tin. Tin, as you know, is a low-melting metal; it melts at three hundred degrees. The temperature in the firebox of a samovar could reach 450 degrees if it was heated with wood splinters, and more if it was charcoal. So, if the samovar is not filled to the full, but, for example, only to half and a fire is lit in it, the parts in it become unsoldered and the samovar becomes unusable.

The internal structure of the samovar

Besides, design feature is that the two main elements (body and firebox) need to be connected in such a way as to form a single whole. You need to solder the firebox specifically, only at the bottom of the product. This complexity of manufacturing determines its high price. Therefore, even in the 19th century, such a household appliance was not affordable for everyone. For example, among peasants there were practically no samovars. They were among the aristocracy, among the merchants, among the prosperous city dwellers, and only under Alexander III and Nicholas II, the samovar began to more or less become part of the peasant environment.

Samovar production

By the end of the 18th century, the production of samovars in Russia began to concentrate mainly in Tula. Although there were other places of their production, for example, the Alenchikov-Zimin company produced samovars in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The production of samovars in Tula is easily explained by the fact that master gunsmiths who knew how to handle metal well worked there. Some of them retrained and began producing samovars. The sales price of a samovar was almost equal to that of a weapon, and therefore they were produced with pleasure by former gunsmiths. During the 19th century in Tula there were about 70 artels that were engaged in the manufacture of various samovars. After the revolution of 1917, there were only two factories left, the first was called the “cartridge plant”, the second was called the “Stamp plant”, which, by the way, is still in operation today. samovars are produced (though in very small quantities).

Part of the exhibition

The main famous masters who worked in Tula: the Lomov brothers, Batashovs, Shimarins, Vorontsovs, Berta Genrikhovna Teyle, who inherited the company from her husband, and others.

Samovars were also made in the Polish kingdom at the end of the 19th century by the Frager company. The Frager company is famous for having invented the deep silver plating method. Their samovars were very elegant and very openwork, the samovar was basically copper with brass elements, the tray with legs were brass, the blower, and the faucet handles were also brass.

Samovars today

Nowadays, samovars are most often used for room decoration to create an interior in the “Russian” style. Both traditional wood-burning models and electric samovars are available for sale. The main manufacturer is still the Tula Stamp plant. The emphasis in manufacturing is shifted to design, because... These days, a samovar is more of a decorative item than a necessity.

Most often, modern buyers use a samovar in country house, at the dacha, in the bathhouse.

We hope that after reading this article you will have a desire to visit the “House of Samovar” museum in Kolomna, and maybe someone will decide to buy a samovar. In this case, we can safely recommend you the Senior Porcelain online store. Also in the Senor Porcelain store you can buy porcelain dishes and other serving items.

Share your favorite tea recipe with the readers of our site!

The nightly prelude to a cozy summer evening, people run home to dispel fatigue and enjoy the midnight silence after a hectic day. The evening garden brings a slight coolness, imperceptibly and insinuatingly filling the house with the aromas of greenery. And to the beat of hearts, warmed by the heat of the Tula samovar, poetry of the soul, national Russian poetry, is born...

This is a piece of each of us, glorified by literary classics. The shiny copper samovar lives on to this day in the works of Pushkin, Blok, Gorky and Gogol. From time immemorial, the samovar, like a good old friend, attracts with its warmth and hospitality. Where does the history of the samovar begin?

Definitely The samovar is a true Russian creation, occupying a special position in. It’s amazing how widespread it is, and how mysterious it is. Indeed, not everyone knows when and where the first water-heating vessel for tea began to bubble up. But the history of the samovar is, in fact, unique and almost unexplored.

As for the origin of the word “samovar,” even here the opinions of historians differ. Different nations In Rus', the device was called differently: in Yaroslavl it was “samogar”, in Kursk it was “samokipets”, in Vyatka it was called “samogrey”. The general idea of the purpose of the copper friend can be traced, “he cooks it himself.” Other researchers find evidence of Tatar origin from the word “snabar” (teapot). But this version has fewer adherents.

Versions of the origin of the samovar

Where to look for answers to the question about the origin of the samovar and its creator? Unfortunately, it is not possible to find exact answers. Historians believe that the Russian samovar, synonymous with our hospitality and an indispensable attribute of Russian tea drinking, originates from ancient civilizations. But these, again, are versions.

1. Antique samovar of Ancient Rome

According to one version, the roots of the samovar go much deeper than it seems. They grow from the place where all roads on Earth lead - Ancient Rome. Archaeologists have discovered devices that work on the principle of a Russian samovar. Incredibly, the Romans drank drinks from samovars back in ancient times. Autepsa was the name of the antique samovar. A rather simple, but nevertheless original and extremely useful invention is structured as follows: outwardly, the autepsa was something similar to a tall jug, inside of which there were two containers, for coal and for liquid. Hot coal was fed through a hole on the side, and the liquid was poured using a ladle. In the same device it was possible to cool drinks on hot days, for this purpose ice was used instead of coal.

2. Chinese samovar 火锅 “Ho-Go”

A similar device exists in China. A deep bowl on a pallet, equipped with a blower and a pipe - this is what the famous Chinese prototype of the samovar, called “Ho-Go,” represents. “Ho-Go” is made from metal and porcelain. They usually serve soup or boiling broth. Perhaps the origin of the samovar, like the samovar, is due to China, and the prototype of the Russian samovar is the Chinese “Ho-Go”.

Appearance in Rus' - from the history of the samovar

There is a legend according to which the samovar appeared in Russia thanks to Peter I - he brought it from Holland as an outlandish and innovative device.

There is another version, according to which the birthplace of the samovar is not even Tula, but the Urals, and its creator is the Tula blacksmith Demidov. Having set off on a trip to the Urals back in 1701, the industrialist Demidov, together with skilled coppersmiths, laid the foundation for the samovar dynasty.

The history of the samovar is florid and ambiguous. According to documented data, the following is known about the appearance of the first samovar: in 1778, in the city of Tula, on Shtykova Street, two Lisitsyna brothers began the first production of samovars. At first, it was a small establishment for the production of samovars. It is thanks to him that Tula is often considered the birthplace of the Russian samovar.

What then to do with other historical documents resting on the shelves of the State Archives of the Sverdlovsk Region? The fact is that one of them, certified by the customs service of Yekaterinburg on February 7, 1740, confirms the version about the earlier appearance of the samovar. According to the inventory of Demidov’s confiscated property, it included, in addition to six tubs of honey and bags of nuts, a copper samovar. And literally: “The samovar is copper, tinned, weighing 16 pounds, made by the factory.” The officially recorded appearance of the samovar in Tula and its distribution in the Urals differ by almost forty years. To this day, the question from the history of the samovar remains open - Tula or the Urals became the birthplace of the Russian samovar?

It turns out that in 1730-1740 samovars were used in the Urals, and only later - in Tula, Moscow and St. Petersburg. In the 19th century, samovar making spread beyond large cities and was observed in the Vyatka, Vladimir and Yaroslavl provinces. By 1850, there were 28 samovar workshops throughout Russia. About 120 thousand copper samovars were produced per year. Samovars were made at the discretion and request of the customer: from large to small, souvenirs, decorated, in the form of vases, jars, glasses, barrels, balls, even barrels. The imagination of the artisans and the customer’s wallet knew no limits. The appearance of the samovar has transformed in step with the times, fashion and way of life of people. In the next issues of our blog we will definitely publish the history of the samovar in pictures.

Tea drinking and samovar are inseparable concepts!

Going through the pages history of the samovar, take a closer look at yourself. What does a samovar mean to us? How did he fall in love and become synonymous with Russian hospitality and generosity?

What would a tea party be without a samovar! Pot-bellied and smoking, important and shiny, the samovar became the center of a festive feast and an indispensable attribute. The unhurried and hospitable samovar created a friendly atmosphere and encouraged conversation. This good friend was outside of class; he was held in high esteem by both the poor man and the king. To the puff of the samovar, they composed poems, sang songs, danced in circles and decided matters of national importance. The samovar is glorified in Russian folk songs, there are proverbs about it: “With a brawler samovar, tea is more important, conversation is more fun,” “Where there is tea, there is paradise under the spruce tree.” The samovar has become an indispensable assistant for the tea maker, greatly facilitating the process of brewing tea. There was no longer any need to fire up the stove to boil water; with a samovar this took a few minutes and became not a daily task, but a tea-drinking tradition. The water takes a long time to cool down, the tea in the samovar brews better, and it turns out much tastier!

Vladimir Stozharov at the samovar.

The samovar completely unconsciously became part of cultural heritage Russian people. Moreover, not a single foreigner will be able to understand why such a simple and unpretentious household item, the samovar, is treated so carefully and with all the soul in our country. The measured hum, the bagels on the table, cups and saucers and the most delicious tea from the samovar - all this is so close to the heart, it gives so much warmth and comfort to the hearth. For a Russian person, a samovar brings back memories of childhood, the dear and caring hands of a mother, the chants of the wind, a snowstorm outside the window, friendly celebrations, and family feasts. Not a single city European cafe can repeat all this, because this is a memory that lives in the hearts.

Drinking tea while drinking a samovar has long been considered one of the most striking and indicative features of Russian traditional life.

The samovar was not an ordinary household item, but a kind of personification of wealth, family comfort, and well-being.

It was included in a girl's dowry, passed down by inheritance, and given as a gift. Thoroughly polished, it was displayed in the most visible and honorable place in the room.

Many believe that the samovar is a truly Russian invention. However, devices similar to the samovar were known in ancient times, in ancient times. For example, the ancient Romans, wanting to drink boiling water, took a vessel, filled it with water and threw a larger hot stone into it, causing the water to boil.

Stozharov V.F. "At the samovar"

Over time, similar devices began to appear in Europe, but with a more advanced design. And in China there was even a device that resembled a samovar in that it had a pipe and a blower.

Russian tea machine

The Russian tea machine, as it was called in Western Europe, first appeared in Russia during the reign of Peter I. At that time, the tsar often visited Holland, from where he brought many ideas and interesting objects, including a samovar. It was called, of course, differently, with a Dutch flavor, but that name has not reached our times and the device is known as a samovar.

The samovar owes its appearance to tea. Tea was brought to Russia in the 17th century from Asia and was used as a medicine among the nobility at that time. Tea was imported to Moscow, and later to Odessa, Poltava, Kharkov, Rostov and Astrakhan. The tea trade was one of the extensive and profitable commercial enterprises.

Nagornov V.A. "Fair"

In the 19th century, tea became the Russian national drink.

Tea was a competitor to sbiten, the favorite drink of Ancient Rus'. This hot drink was prepared with honey and medicinal herbs in sbitennik. The sbitennik looks like a teapot, inside of which there was a pipe for loading coal. There was a brisk trade in sbiten at fairs.

In the 18th century, kitchen samovars appeared in the Urals and Tula, which were a silo divided into three parts: food was cooked in two, and tea in the third. The sbitennik and the samovar-kitchen were the predecessors of the samovar.

Zhdanov Vladimir Yurievich, “March Sun”

The first samovar

During the time of Peter the Great, an unprecedented development of industry began in the Urals, a huge number of copper smelters and metallurgical plants were built.

It was at one of these factories that they began producing household copper utensils for the population, where they began producing kettles with handles already in the 30s of the 18th century. A little later, factories began to produce cauldrons and distillery stills with pipes.

V. Nesterenko. "Candy lamb"

Externally, the first samovars were still somewhat different from modern ones. At that time, they were intended mainly for use in camping conditions, as a result of which they were small in size and had removable legs.

The most common volume of samovars was 3-8 liters, although larger volumes of 12-15 liters were also produced for a large number of people.

Due to the fact that most of Russia has a rather cool climate, people drank several cups of tea a day.

In addition, the heat of the samovar could warm up the room quite well. All this led to the fact that the samovar became very popular among the people, even despite its far from low cost.

By the way, its cost was determined depending on its weight, that is, the heavier the samovar, the more expensive it was.

Making a samovar

Entire villages were engaged in the production of samovar parts all year round, with the exception of summer, when work was carried out in the fields.

Morev Andrey. "Still life with samovar"

N. Bogdanov-Belsky. "New Masters (Tea Party)"

At first, samovars were made of red (pure) and green copper, cupronickel, and later they began to use cheaper alloys such as brass. There were samovars made of precious metals - gold and silver. The shapes of the samovar were also very diverse, and in Tula alone there were more than 150 types.

Kuznetsov Valery

The most expensive samovars today are those made at the beginning of the last century in Faberge's workshops. Silver and gilding were used for their production. Unique techniques for chasing, punching, casting and perforating were also used.

The Tula samovar, which held 250 liters of water and weighed 100 kg, was made in 1922 as a gift to the chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee Kalinin. The water boiled for 40 minutes and cooled for two days. At that time, this samovar was the largest in the world.

Today, the record for the largest samovar in the world belongs to Ukrainians. It weighs more than 3 centners, its height is 1.8 m, and its volume is 360 liters! The samovar operates in the building of the Kharkov railway station and can serve up to 10 thousand people per day.

The smallest samovar in the world was considered to be a 3.5-mm “microsamovar” made by V. Vasyurenko, a mechanic at the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics of the USSR Academy of Sciences. It is designed to boil 1 drop of water. However, the absolute record was set by the “Russian Lefty”, microminiature master Nikolai Aldunin. His samovar is only 1.2 mm high! Made of gold and consists of 12 parts.

Our days

Nowadays, it is also possible to treat yourself to tea from a samovar. They are sold in antique shops and in special samovar stores. A samovar can create a surprisingly warm and cozy atmosphere in the house, add a unique flavor to family and friendly gatherings, and remind you of long-forgotten, but so pleasant Russian traditions.

Today, in the life of a modern person, a samovar is not a mandatory attribute that should be on the table when the whole family gets together. Rather, it is a curiosity that is quite often purchased as an element of the interior.

Text: Yana Malinka

1. If you decide to buy a samovar, do not let yourself be deceived - when buying a samovar, be sure to check the spout so that water does not leak from it. To check, you can pour water or blow into the tap. No air should pass through.

2. Also, when purchasing, you should pay attention to what material the handles are made of; it is advisable that they be made of heat-resistant material.

3. The material from which the samovar is made is also important. Regular brass needs cleaning as it tarnishes. Therefore, nickel plated is considered better.

4. When purchasing an electric samovar, be sure to check its heating part.