What kind of medals were on the samovars? Evaluation of antique Russian samovars
The famous samovar production in Russia began to develop at the end of the 18th century. The samovar quickly became an integral part of Russian culture and entered almost every home. The popularity of the main attribute of tea drinking reached its peak at the beginning of the next century and remained at its peak almost until the middle of the 20th century. Today, the iconic item of tea drinking has acquired not only cultural value, but also collectible value, which is mainly determined by the branded insignia. What do the medals on the samovar mean? They can tell a lot and, first of all, fully reflect the authority of the manufacturer.
What do medals on samovars mean?
In past centuries, as today, competition was the main driver of the pursuit of quality. Many samovar workshops, in the struggle for the market, were looking for new forms, improving products and striving for the highest quality.
During the formation of leading enterprises, the demand and popularity of the product was determined by various industrial shows and exhibitions at which medals were awarded. Only well-deserved awards were displayed in the form of a seal on the samovars of a particular manufacturer. They were applied as an impression using special stamping stamps. As a rule, there was a manufacturer's imprint in the middle, surrounded by medals, which were an image of the emblem of a competition.
Medals on samovars, which also contained an inscription and a date, were applied to the body, lid and tray of the unit. In addition, the application of factory marks and medals was not arbitrary, but was strictly regulated and controlled by the state. For counterfeiting, the law provided for considerable fines, sanctions and even criminal liability, including imprisonment.
The most famous samovar medals and seals
By the end of the 19th century. The leaders of the samovar business were identified, whose reputation was won not only by the many seals on the samovar, but also by their significance. The most valued awards were those received at international exhibitions and all-Russian industrial competitions. Unlike prizes at fairs, such awards included original works by famous masters who had passed a preliminary selection. The assessment was made both on quality and on appearance and decoration.
Among the most famous enterprises were the Lisitsyns, Batashevs, Lomovs, Shemarins, Vorontsovs, and Teiles. In addition to the factory mark and medals, the best Tula samovars bore the Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire. Thus, Ivan Grigoryevich Batashev, who founded the factory in 1825, along with the nobility and the title of court manufacturer, received the right to put the coat of arms of the state on his products. He also became a supplier to the Imperial Household and earned recognition throughout the world.
Medals on a samovar are special marks on its body or lid. You can see them not only on rare models, but also on modern ones. The presence of a stamp and medals indicates the authenticity of the item, its high quality and value. Any collector pays attention to such marks.
What do the medals mean?
Modern collectors often prefer vintage devices. It is very important for them to understand what specific medals mean. Also, this information may be useful for ordinary people who love samovars and study their history.
Quality assurance
Some medals contain the name of the master. They are evidence of the authenticity and highest quality of the model. In the past, the production of samovars was very common among artisans. Many artisans tried to master this niche, but not everyone managed to earn recognition. The presence of the mark of a master (working individually for himself or an entire factory) allows one to determine what materials were used to produce the “tea machine” and how high quality the product is. In addition, the medal is part of the decor.
What information was placed on the medals?
The popularity of the samovar in Russia and far beyond its borders is due to its aesthetic appeal, bizarre shape and high-quality workmanship. When assessing the quality of a particular model, qualified antique dealers always pay special attention to the presence of marks. Not all devices have them, since the right to place them had to be earned first.
The medal is evidence that the model has won exhibitions or received other awards (recognition from foreigners, honorary citizens, nobles). The presence of a stamp on the body indicates that the samovar has passed inspection before being put up for sale.
By looking at the medals placed on the devices, you can learn the history of the industry. They contain quite a lot of valuable information, thanks to which you can learn about the exhibitions held at that time and their winners.
Impression making methods
The overwhelming number of medals contained information about the manufacturer: name of the factory, initials of the master, year of manufacture. The prints were placed on the body, tray or lid. The main thing is that they are clearly visible and at the same time do not affect the artistic design.
The marks were made using a special tool called a stamp. It was made of cast iron. The tool was heated and leaned against the surface of the samovar, after which the stamp was struck with a hammer. The depth of the imprint was not very large, so when cleaning the device, part of the stamp disappeared, especially if sand was used as a cleaning agent.
Only device manufacturers had the right to apply medals due to government restrictions on this process. This approach made it possible to completely eliminate the possibility of producing counterfeits. Before placing a print, the manufacturer was required to register it with the authorized body.
Best medals
Vorontsov Brothers Factory, Tula The value of the print depends on the event in which the manufacturer managed to win. The higher the status of the exhibition or fair, the more significant the award.
Similar events were held several times a year in different cities of the country. Competitions between masters within the same city were also very popular. Medals from local fairs were not particularly highly valued, but they helped to make a name for themselves at regional events. The most significant marks were those won at international or all-Russian exhibitions. In order to present their creation there, the manufacturer had to go through a strict control procedure. Not only the quality of workmanship was taken into account, but also the artistic design and aesthetic appeal. In approximately 80% of all cases, only original works underwent such verification. Other products were not very popular among foreign connoisseurs of samovar art.
For collectors, the most valuable are also samovars with awards from international exhibitions. Copies produced by the factories of the Dubinins, Batashovs, Lisitsins and Kondratievs are in great demand.
How to choose a samovar, how to heat it, and which “tea machine” to choose.
For a century and a half, samovars were an integral part of Russian life. They are a device for boiling water and making tea. Initially, the water in them was heated by an internal firebox, which was a tall tube filled with charcoal. A little later, kerosene, electric and other types of samovars appeared. Currently, they are almost universally replaced by teapots.
Antique samovars: a little history
Today, these antique devices with exquisite artistic design are popular among collectors and simply true connoisseurs.
As is known, the tradition of tea drinking came to Russia from the East, where there were special utensils for preparing tea drinks. But it was Russian masters who invented the samovar in the form of a familiar device to all of us.
It is difficult to name the exact date of the appearance of such products, but the 19th century is considered the peak of their popularity. At this time, many factories were opened throughout the country producing such products. But among them it was the masters of Tula who became especially famous. Such manufacturers as the Lisitsyns, Kapyrzins, Lomovs, Shemarins, Gornins, Vorontsovs, Batashevs, Teiles and many others were known both in Russia and in Europe.
The first samovar manufacturers in Tula were the Lisitsin brothers, who opened a samovar establishment at the end of the 18th century. Their products were famous for their exquisite shapes. The ancient Tula samovars of the Lomovs are also well known, which at that time produced about 1000 products per year.
As a rule, the whole family was involved in the production of products, and their experience and tools were passed on by inheritance. That is why one product could have several marks of masters. Tula samovars were made not only directly in Tula itself, but also in its environs, but this did not prevent all samovars from these places from being called Tula.
Copper (more precisely, an alloy of copper and zinc) was initially used for manufacturing. But since it was customary to polish these products to a shine, the copper samovar very quickly failed. After some time, craftsmen began to use brass and cupronickel.
Types of structures
According to the method of heating water, ancient samovars are divided into:
- Heat (coal, wood) ones, with which the history of samovar-making actually began. To heat water, you can use almost any wood-based combustible materials (coal, wood, pine cones, etc.).
- Electrical. The water is heated using a heating element. The main advantage is the absence of smoke and soot.
- Combined, combining two types of water heating - from electricity and from the heat of burning fuel.
At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, new types of samovars began to be produced: kerosene, Parichko products and copper Chernikov devices with a side pipe.
Also, ancient samovars differ in shape. The cheapest are considered to be jars, then, in ascending price, a glass, a ball, and then a vase, an egg.
Volume of samovars
These devices vary in displacement.
The most popular antique samovars are coal samovars from 3 to 7 liters. Products smaller than 3 liters usually cost more than their larger counterparts because they are more difficult to manufacture and are less common.
Electric samovars come in sizes from 1.5 to 3 liters. Large sizes are quite rare.
Material for production
Samovars are made from different materials. The most common are brass products, as well as copper, cupronickel and tombac.
Copper samovars were considered festive, which is why they are the most expensive. Nowadays, mostly brass products with copper coating are sold, but you can also find an antique copper samovar. The most commonly found on sale are gold-colored brass devices (they look very elegant, but require careful care of their surface) and nickel-plated brass devices (they have a silver color, they also look beautiful, but do not require special care).
Brass samovars with paintings are also widespread.
Heat samovars
From the point of view of antique value, the most attractive are coal-fired samovars, where the main fuel is coal. Since not everyone could afford coal in those days, firewood was often used for heating, which was placed in the inner pipe.
Antique wood-burning samovars are no less in demand among antique dealers. Visually, they are not much different from their coal counterparts. But true connoisseurs of antiquity will recognize them instantly.
The most valuable are genuine products from the 17th - early 19th centuries, each of which is unique in its own way and is a work of art. The mark of the master is considered the standard of the highest quality for an antique samovar.
Advantages and disadvantages of wood-burning samovars
These are real old samovars, which means you can touch the real Russian tradition of tea drinking, which is almost two hundred years old. The advantage of heated products is that the heated water in them cools down more slowly.
Among the disadvantages are:
1) Antique fire samovars (their prices vary widely) need to be heated when they are completely filled with water. If this rule is not followed, they may fall apart. Therefore, if you need to heat up the water in a cooled device, you must add liquid, and only then reheat it. However, it is not easy to light an extinguished samovar, so most likely you will have to drain the water rather than add it, remove the old fuel, add water and melt it again.
2) Coal samovars can only be heated in open spaces, or the pipe can be inserted into a special hood.
3) Heat samovars are much more expensive than similar electric samovars.
Electric samovars
These products replaced the heat analogues already in the era of developed socialism. In terms of their design, they are much simpler and do not have the traditional sophistication of forms and elements. That is why electric samovars have the least collection value.
Advantages and disadvantages of electric samovars
Electric options are more convenient to heat up, and with any volume of water (as long as the heating element is covered). They can be used indoors. Most electric samovars have a thermal switch.
The main disadvantage of an electric samovar is that it is not a samovar, but rather an electric kettle of a non-standard shape. You can't smell pine cones or apple branches here. After heating, it will cool faster than the fire one, since there are no slowly cooling coals inside it. It cannot be used outdoors, as there is no electricity there.
Combined antique samovars
Since progress does not stand still, buying a combined samovar will be a very successful acquisition, combining the advantages of heat and electric counterparts. You can heat such a device with wood, and when the water cools down, you can heat it with electricity. It can be used both outdoors and indoors.
The only disadvantage of combined samovars is their cost, which is higher than both wood-burning and electric versions of similar volume and shape.
How much does an antique samovar cost?
Those who want to have an antique samovar in their home can purchase it without any problems at the antique market, which very successfully supplies everyone with such products that differ in appearance, quality, artistic merit, production time, volume and price. For ordinary buyers, unlike collectors, it is quite difficult to understand all the intricacies, although sometimes even collectors do not know how to evaluate a particular product. After all, for example, only one Tula factory of V.S. Batashev produced more than 50 shapes and sizes of various samovars, and if we take into account other manufacturers, it becomes not so easy to determine the price of this popular product.
As we have already said, the cost of antique samovars can be very different, depending on many factors. And first of all, the age of the product is important here (the older it is, the more valuable). For example, a device that was produced in tsarist times is valued several times more expensive than its Soviet counterparts.
The uniqueness of the samovar is also important. Exclusive things, handmade items have always been valued quite highly, and if the product is also quite old, then it is, without a doubt, an antique. The same can be said about the form.
Another criterion that influences the price of a samovar is the popularity of the manufacturing factory, the presence of a manufacturer’s stamp or a manufacturer’s mark. For example, an antique samovar with medals costs much more. In addition, the safety and artistic value of decorative elements is important.
All samovars can be divided into 3 categories:
- The samovars are ancient (their prices vary greatly). They are made, as a rule, at the highest artistic level and made of expensive material. Such specimens rarely appear on the antique market, and the price here is usually determined by the seller. The buyer can either purchase at this price or look for a different price. The cost of such a product reaches several tens of thousands of dollars.
- This category includes products that have good artistic design, non-standard shape, and are plated with silver. There are many more such samovars on the market, so the seller and buyer can agree on a price. The price range fluctuates around 10 thousand dollars.
- This category includes mass-produced, ordinary and purely functional products. The buyer usually offers the price for such a product. Such samovars can cost approximately $500.
For almost a century and a half, the samovar was an integral part of Russian life. V.I. Dal described the samovar in his dictionary: “A water-heating vessel for tea with a pipe and a brazier inside.” In Europe, the samovar was called the “Russian tea machine.”
Nowadays, there are no longer heat samovars; they have long gone out of use; the samovar has been replaced by electric samovars and electric kettles. However, recently interest in such samovars has begun to increase steadily, primarily due to the massive development of the suburbs. Such a craving for a samovar with a brazier is quite understandable; it was and remains the embodiment of Russian hospitality.
Those who want to have an antique samovar in their country house or cottage can purchase it without any problems at the antique market, which quite successfully supplies everyone with antique samovars. There are enough samovars on the market, but the appearance, quality and artistic merits are different. They differ in production time, volume, appearance, and price. It is very difficult for a simple buyer, unlike a collector, to understand all the intricacies, although collectors sometimes do not know how to evaluate a particular samovar. After all, for example, only one samovar factory of V.S. Batashev in Tula produced more than fifty forms of various samovars. Even more samovars of various shapes and sizes were produced by I.F. Kapyrin, and if we also take into account other manufacturers of samovars, then it becomes not so easy to determine methods for calculating the price of this popular market product.
The main question of the market is what and how much? You can answer this only if you know everything about the product. In addition, the buyer needs to know about the state of the antique market section as a whole. The solution to such a complex issue in the presence of a large amount of material is always associated with systematization of the subject of research.
Let's carry out our systematization. Conventionally, we will divide all samovars into three categories. The first category includes rare samovars; they are, as a rule, made at a high artistic level and from expensive materials. Rare samovars do not often appear on the antique market, and the price here is determined by the seller, and the buyer either purchases for the price given by the seller, or starts looking for a samovar at a different price. The second category includes samovars made with good artistic elaboration, having a non-standard shape, coated with silver. There are many more such samovars on the market, and here both the seller and the buyer can reach an agreement on the price. Here the buyer must also have an idea of the state of the market and the product being offered. The third category of samovars includes products that were mass-produced, ordinary, and purely functional. The price for such samovars, as a rule, is offered by the buyer himself, which he can pay, but even here he needs to know the market conditions for such samovars.
Category one. This includes top-class samovars, which were manufactured individually according to individual orders, or in small series. Such samovars, as a rule, were made in the Russian classical and Empire style, and thanks to their highly artistic decoration, they became objects of decorative and applied art, which in most cases were used as interior decoration rather than as vessels for making tea. Samovars, which were made to order, were made, as a rule, from silver, less often from copper coated with silver, and very rarely from copper or brass.
Here are some examples. One of the rare examples of samovars, which is made in the Empire style, its shape resembles a classic vase, which rests on a bronze square base, decorated with a floral pattern, with four round legs with vertical notches. The samovar itself is decorated with a gilded openwork cast bronze belt in the shape of a vine with bunches of grapes. The faucet drain is made in the form of a stylized horse's muzzle, the handles are made in the form of a small bird, the handles are made in the form of winged deities, with flower garlands. The material from which the samovar is made is mainly copper and brass; most of the parts of the samovar are plated with gold.
To determine its value, in this particular case, you need to know: 1) when it was made - the beginning of the 19th century, 2) what artistic style is it - Empire style, 3) the quality of the samovar is high, 4) on the Russian antique market, samovars of this level are very rare, they practically never occur.
Antique salons, apparently focusing on these features, set the price for the samovar at fifty thousand dollars.
Another example from the same category is the samovar made by the Moscow factory of Carl Faberge - “Leshy”. The samovar is made in an unusual style, inspired by Russian folk tales. In its form, the samovar is a classic example - a vase with two handles. The surface of the samovar vase is made in the form of a stylized head of a humanoid creature, and the handles look like the protruding ears of this creature. The tap is made in the form of a knot with leaves, and the handle of the tap is several leaves connected together. The base-air blower, made in an openwork style, in the form of intertwined roots and branches, complements the overall appearance of this rare item. The main material from which the samovar is made is silver; some parts of the samovar are covered with gold. On the base there is a personal stamp of the company “K. Faberge." The samovar was made between 1899 and 1908.
The fate of the samovar is also interesting. In 1917, it was exported from Russia, and in recent years it was exhibited several times at auctions in London, with a starting price of 80 thousand pounds sterling, up to 120 thousand. At an auction in 2004, one of the Russian antique collectors bought it at auction for 274 thousand 400 pounds and returned it to Russia.
To determine the price of this particular samovar, it is necessary 1) the samovar bears the brand of the company “K. Faberge”, which is proven by its manufacture at a world-famous company, 2) the samovar itself is an exclusive product, 3) the provenance of the samovar is known. Three indicators are enough for a product with the Faberge brand to determine its market value. The price for the Leshy samovar in Russia is several times higher than the price for which it was purchased at an auction in London.
The second category, as a rule, includes samovars of rare shapes, made of silver-plated brass, less often of applied silver or cupronickel, copper or brass. This category of samovars includes samovars made in Poland, which are particularly refined, and samovars that were made in the “samovar capital” in Tula, and samovars that were made in Moscow and other industrial centers. The samovars that were manufactured in Warsaw, at the most famous company “Frage”, stand apart. This company was the first to use the method of electroplating with silver on samovars made of copper, brass, and cupronickel. Samovars were supplied from Poland to Russia not only by the Frazhe factory, but also by other equally well-known companies: V. Norblin, R. Plevkevich and others. Samovars from these companies, decorated with engravings, cast garlands and mascarons, were popular in Russia until 1910.
A few examples from this category. One of the most beautiful samovars from the company of R. Plevkevich is a sample of a samovar made of clad silver. The samovar was made in the form of a vase, with two handles in the form of plant shoots, decorated with satyr mascarons. There are holes at the base of the handles for heat dissipation, which are separated from the top by bone pads. The lower part of the samovar is decorated with picturesque decor, the middle part of the samovar is decorated with a string of “pearls”. The faucet of the samovar is cast, stylized as a horse's head, with a cork key. The base is cast, ending with four figured legs made of stylized plant shoots. The samovar bears the stamp “Plewkiewic w Warszawie”.
Another samovar made at the B. Genneberg factory is also unusual and magnificent. The samovar is also made in the form of a vase made of silver-plated cupronickel, with two handles in the form of plant shoots. The ash pan bears the personal stamp “HENNEBERG - WARSZAWA - 985”. The samovar was manufactured in the mid-19th century. The samovar is made in the Empire style; on the front side of the samovar there is a cartouche for a dedicatory inscription, decorated with roses tied with a bow. The drain tap is cast, made in the shape of a stylized horse's head, with a switch key with a bone grip. Thermal insulation of the handles is provided by bone washers. The upper part of the samovar is decorated with flower shoots intertwined with ribbon.
The practice of the antique market shows that the price of samovars of the second category ranges from 3 thousand dollars to 10 thousand dollars. What determines the cost of samovars. Since almost all samovars in this category have almost the same volume of 5-7 liters, we will exclude this factor from further consideration. The other two factors are significant in considering this issue. The first factor is the time of manufacture of the samovar and the artistic style. The second factor is what material it is made of.
The third category includes samovars that were mass-produced for everyday use. The price of such samovars on the antique market ranges from $300 to $3,000. To make it clearer why household samovars fall into this price range, it is necessary to at least in general outline the process of making samovars and their features, which determined the price of a particular samovar.
Single, unique samovars were made by craftsmen, while for mass production the technology for producing the cheapest samovars was based on the cooperation and specialization of individual manufacturers. A samovar consists of a large number of parts. For their production, there were artels that produced various parts. Then all the parts were delivered to the factory, where they were assembled into a samovar. Sometimes one samovar had several marks from different craftsmen. All this contributed to reducing the cost of samovars, and ultimately reducing their prices. It was the samovars of the simplest forms that were the most widespread, and therefore the cheapest.
The price of the samovar was also influenced by the material from which it was made. The most common and cheapest material in the second half of the 19th century was brass. Often, silver substitutes, cupronickel and nickel silver, were used to make samovars, which well imitated expensive silver samovars; such samovars were much cheaper than silver ones, and the demand for them among the population was great. To make them more similar to a silver samovar, brass samovars were often nickel-plated by manufacturers, and the accompanying items, bowls and trays, were also nickel-plated. In this case, the price for nickel-plated samovars was higher than for samovars made of brass.
Manufacturers of samovars often inflated the price of the samovar, without particularly increasing the costs of its production. Sometimes, the samovar manufacturer simply stamped it with various medals from various exhibitions, both domestic and foreign. Almost all major samovar manufacturers branded their products with imprints of medals from world exhibitions. Samovars with medals were much more expensive than their awarded counterparts. The price for such a samovar was 15-20 rubles, while a regular samovar cost 8-10 rubles. It was precisely because of the difference in price that some manufacturers put marks on their samovars that did not rightfully belong to them.
The shape and size of the samovar plays a significant role in the cost of the product. At the beginning of the second half of the 19th century, standardization of forms and decoration took place. The most common forms were vases, blows, acorns, jars and glasses. Often there are samovars that had the shape of a ball and an egg. Ball-shaped samovars were highly valued in Central Asia and Persia, where traders exported them in large quantities. Household samovars decorated with some kind of pattern were in great demand. Prices for a samovar depended on the size of the samovar, which at that time were varied: small samovars, the capacity of which was designed for one glass, and large samovars, the capacity of several buckets. Large samovars were used in taverns and hotels; the capacity of such samovars reached up to ten buckets of water. For travelers, samovars with a small volume, compact body, removable legs and unusual shape were produced. Such samovars were produced by one of the most famous masters from Tula, Nazar Lisitsin. He put a personal stamp on his samovars. Such samovars were also produced by several other factories. The so-called tavern samovars, with a capacity of 35-50 liters, were sold by weight, and were much more expensive than their less capacious counterparts.
Let us trace the trends described above according to the “Price List of the Heirs of V.S. Batashev in Tula,” which was released on February 18, 1914. The price list shows prices for both simple samovars of simple shapes and samovars of complex shapes. Prices for samovars that are made of different materials, have different volumes, etc. are indicated separately.
What do we see from this price list? First of all, the price of a samovar depends on its shape. The price for samovars of simple shapes, which were sold in bulk, is given in the price list per pood. The price for samovars of more complex shapes, which is given in the price list, was determined for a piece product. Stores sold such samovars individually. The material from which the samovars were made is another factor on which the price depended. If the price of samovars made of brass is taken as a basis, then nickel-plated samovars of the same shapes were already worth 5% more expensive, the same samovars, but made of tombak, were already priced 10% more expensive than brass ones. The third factor that affects the price of a samovar is its volume. The list price for a pound of such samovars was 28 rubles.
Naturally, not all cases from the practice of the antique market fit into this framework. Such, for example, samovars as “tete-a-tete” do not fit into this framework. Having their unusual shape, such samovars are in high demand among collectors. Also in a special row are samovars made of pure copper, since there are very few such samovars on the antique market. The explanation for this fact is very simple: ash or clay was used to clean samovars, as a result of such cleaning, the walls of the samovar were wiped through, after which the samovars were simply thrown away. Also, travel samovars do not fit into the framework of the described scheme, since the price list is designed for samovars that were produced in mass quantities that corresponded to customer demand.
Over the past years, when the production of samovars was discontinued, some samovars were disposed of, some of them were preserved, but there are very few of them. The rarest examples of samovars are tavern ones. On the samovar market, samovars of unusual shapes are rarely found. There are also few samovars made of silver on the antique market.
The antique market today represents a pie cut into different pieces. And each buyer is offered, based on his financial capabilities and tastes, a certain piece of the pie. Highly artistic samovars have become rare and have become objects of decorative and applied art. To purchase such a samovar, a collector needs not only to have enough money, but also a bit of luck and fortune, because prices for such a samovar reach six figures. A buyer who has set himself the goal of purchasing a samovar of average value, the work of an average craftsman, but of an interesting shape and well decorated, made not of silver, but of simpler and cheaper materials, will be luckier. Prices for such samovars range from 3 thousand dollars to 10 thousand dollars. There is a great abundance of simple brass samovars on the antique market, and their prices are quite reasonable.
Nowadays, ancient samovars are experiencing their rebirth, being the most popular type of antique samovars. The material culture of the past finds a warm response in the hearts of modern people. And it’s not just about “antique fashion.” By touching the “representatives” of domestic samovar production that have survived into the 21st century, collectors and simply amateurs are trying to penetrate the spirit of bygone times and restore the connection between the past and the future, which helps answer the complex question of who we are, where we come from and where we are going. Probably, many would like to know more about such a beautiful, useful and popular household item among our ancestors as a samovar. And the most observant ones go further in studying the “samovar” history and are interested in such questions as the meaning of medals on antique samovars.
Medals – recognition of quality
In industry, as in other walks of life, progress comes from the competitive spirit, which is the engine of all human achievement. The Russian samovar industry, having originated in small handicraft workshops, during the 19th century made its victorious march not only throughout its native country, but also conquered the markets of many countries around the world. The samovar became known in European countries as a beautiful, original and functional household item of high quality, made with great skill and love, and in a broader sense it symbolized Russia with its rich and distinctive culture.
The main sign of the quality of the products of samovar companies, along with the mark of a particular factory, became marks in the form of medals. It was not easy to earn the right to such a mark, because medals were awarded to winning products at industrial competitions of various levels - exhibitions. The factory, whose products were often among the winners at exhibitions, domestic and international, decorated the samovars with the awards they received. The medals were supposed to indicate the quality of branded samovar models and attract the attention of buyers.
By looking at the medals on antique samovars, you can study the history of domestic samovar production, since the stamps of the awards contain a lot of information about industrial exhibitions in which products of famous brands participated. The stamp of the medals and the name of the manufacturer were placed on the body, lid or tray of the samovar. It was applied with a special cast-iron stamp, heated to the required temperature and pressed against the hot surface using a hammer. The depth of the imprint could not be too deep, so it would be erased over time if the samovar was cleaned with sand.
The application of medals and stamps with the names of factories was strictly regulated by the state to exclude the possibility of counterfeiting. A manufacturer, in order to obtain the right to a particular brand, had to go through a government registration procedure, otherwise he would face a heavy fine or imprisonment.
Which medals are better on an antique samovar?
The merit of medals on antique samovars depended on the level of the industrial exhibition or fair where the award was awarded. In the context of the spread of samovar production throughout Russia, a large number of similar competitions in the quality of goods were held in the regions. Awards received by manufacturers at local fairs and exhibitions were not valued very highly. Medals from international or all-Russian exhibitions represent a completely different level. Products participating in such competitions had to undergo a strict selection process, which included high quality manufacturing and artistic design of the product. Companies that received the right to present samovars at high-level exhibitions, as a rule, had products created by famous masters. The most honorable thing was to have awards that gave factories the high status of suppliers to the royal court. Such samovars were readily bought not only in Russia, but also at foreign fairs.
Modern collectors of antiques pay attention to the “dignity” of medals, which lies in the level of exhibitions that the Russian “tea machine” visited. The most valuable are samovars that have medals from international exhibitions. The total number of medals also indicates the high quality of the product and the respectability of the manufacturer. Experts name among the most expensive antique samovars bearing the mark of the factories of Dubinin, Kondratyev, and Sevryugin. Collectible and exhibition samples of samovar companies from Teile, Batashovs and Lisitsins are of great value.
