Huge party-size brass samovar by Batashev, circa 1896-1917.
Stands approx. 26" tall to the top of the crown, the body is 12" in diameter. Weighs nearly 27 lbs. (over 12 kg). Capacity approx. 4 gallons (15 liters) of water. A samovar of this capacity would be a good choice for a tea house, a restaurant, or a large household in the habit of hosting large tea parties. The body and base feature a number of stamped images of the medals which Batashev samovars won at various domestic and international exhibitions. The abbreviations ЗОЛ, СЕР or БРОН above each medal stand for "gold", "silver" and "bronze", respectively, signifying the 1st, 2nd or 3rd place of the award. The crown achievement of the Batashev brand was reached in 1896 at the all-Russian Exhibition when the factory was awarded the honor of putting the state emblem, the double-headed eagle, on their product. It proudly occupies the center position among the awards, right above the faucet. Some of the medals are partially rubbed off to become almost illegible, a side effect of repeated cleaning and polishing of the samovar back to its original brassy luster.
The samovar appears to be in perfect working condition, "appears" being the key word because we did not test it for all the obvious reasons. However, all the important parts are in place except for the chimney (it would be a whole different order of rarity if the chimney weren't missing). The valve of the faucet fits into the spout very snugly. The valve on the lid for regulating steam release is in perfect working order. The wood of the handles appears to be original but is still strong, lifting and carrying the samovar has not been a problem. The cinder trap door on the underside of the base also appears to be original. Some of the screws affixing the knobs and steam valve to the lid have been replaced, or additional ones added but all that is visible only when you take off the lid and look at its underside.
The world-famous Batashev brand is inseparably tied with the Russian city of Tula about 120 miles north of Moscow. Its main claim to fame for the last 2 centuries has been weaponry and munitions production (yes, Kalashnikov assault rifles are made in Tula). But the city is equally famous for its samovars. The Batashev brand began in 1840 as a modest small shop in the close suburbs of Tula. It grew, workers were hired, it acquired the status of a factory. But in 1861 a large fire demolished the factory. Its founder, Stepan Batashev, had a heart attack as a result, and passed away. Restoration of the factory fell on the shoulders of his three sons. They did very well and only 10 years after the fire they had a large and well-equipped factory producing nearly 6,000 samovars a year.
Please note that the podstakannik in our photo is for size reference only.
Item# 40439
$975.00 Add to cart
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