Exhibition 'The Russian Samovar: Traditions of Tea Drinking'

About exhibition

The collection of samovars on display dates from the mid-19th to the first half of the 20th century. It comprises over 60 samovars and about 100 tea-ceremony items. Visitors can see samovars in a wide variety of shapes — 'banka' (jar), 'ryumka' (goblet), 'shar' (sphere), 'vaza' (vase), 'yaytso' (egg), 'zhelud' (acorn), 'dulya' (dulya form), 'repka' (turnip) — and their variants. Capacities also vary, from 200 ml to 20 liters. The samovar motif has been widely integrated into Russian art. In the 19th century, paintings began to appear depicting tea-drinking scenes around the samovar and images of country picnics. Reproductions of these works and photographic materials from Crimean museums nicely complement the exhibition.