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Kovshi

 

 

 

Wooden Kovsh

In ancient Russia, peasants produced oval-shaped drinking vessels with dipper(s) known as kovshi.  These wooden kovshi were used for drinking beer, mead, or kvas (as a serving bowl or one-person vessel).  Alternately, many were employed as ladles, containers, or ceremonial items. These kovshi were taller and more rounded than the later, well-known silver kovsh. Created from tree root, they were elaborately painted and frequently inscribed with blessings upon their base.  [Kovshi have a painting style that closely resembles that found on ceremonial utensils from the Northern Dvina region, perhaps carried by 16^th century exiles from Novgorod].

 

Through kovshi motifs varied from region to region, several common characteristics are evident: prow-handles in the shape of a water bird or horse's head; sun motifs depicted on the vessel’s sides; and kovshi dippers display rosettes, wavy lines, and nature motifs. Such unusual characteristics derive from Russian folklore, relaying how the (pre-Christian) Sun-God is carried by a horse-drawn chariot across the sky. As evening arrives, the horse-drawn chariot delves into the Western Ocean. Once water-borne the horses become water birds and pull the sun until dawn. The story forms the basis for pagan harvest tribute. The designs are depicted as a way to evoke natural powers.

 

Today, kovshi are popularly associated with the skobkar, a swimming bird-shaped bowl with tail- and head-like handles.  Because birds and horses are parallel images in Slavic mythology, skobkars occasionally depict equestrian features as well. This popular skobkar form allowed for several variations, most famously in Moscow where shallow, oblong vessels (named sudy- boat) became highly popular with silversmiths in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

Kovshi often depict several motifs in hopes of greater magical efficacy. For instance, a dipper handle carved with horse heads may combine with rosettes on a duck sudy. Depictions of lions and gryphons are found on kovshi as well. Despite its many variations, the traditional wooden kovsh shape lasted for several centuries. Indeed, rural peasants continued to employ kovshi in ceremonial occasions until the late 1800s.

 

Silver Kovsh

In the 14^th century, the kovshi’s unique shape inspired Russian silversmiths to begin creating their own kovshi (most likely in Novgorod). By the 16^th century, Russian silversmiths had popularized the simple, flat skobkar by imitating ancient wooden prototypes.

Presentation Kovsh: overview and design

Later in the century, the tsar began awarding kovshi for special services rendered.  By the mid 17^th century, these presentation kovshi were awarded to wealthy tax collectors (who leased out their position) and Cossack military leaders (for their loyal service).  These recipients viewed kovshi as a status symbol and many sought to acquire even grander kovshi by collecting greater taxes or contributing funds. For tax collectors and Don Cossack hetmen, presentation kovsh would be awarded until the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries, respectively.

 

Presentation kovshi generally depict the royal double eagles (the Imperial Court Seal) in relief on the bottom’s interior. Likewise, the tsar’s name and full title along with the recipients name and service rendered are engraved in niello beneath the rim. 

 

17^th & 18^th Centuries

During Peter the Great’s reign (1682-1725), silver kovshi were created for ceremonial purposes.  Likewise, jeweled kovshi (elaborately decorated with precious stones and engraved in niello) were made for display in royal palaces as a point of national pride.  Though the baroque era was coming to a close, kovshi became increasingly heavy, ornate, and angular. Created from a single sheet of silver, imperial-made kovshi  featured double-headed eagles in cast ornament (at tip) and the bottom interior in repousee. In kind, the Cyrillic inscription band became progressively ornate and difficult to read.

 

Catherine the Great (reign: 1762-1796) continued to employ kovshi for ceremonial purposes, often having them especially made for such events. During her reign, kovshi began to depict rococo ornament (such as shells and curls).  As the need for presentation kovshi declined however, their importance slowly faded.

 

19^th & 20^th Centuries

In the early 19th century, a few silver kovshi were being created in the then-popular Classicist style. Propagated by western Europe, this newly clean, streamlined perspective differed greatly from the previous baroque style. Nevertheless, Europe’s influence upon Russian art would soon wane.  By the mid-19^th century, a growing interest in historicism and a desire to reassert national identity inspired Russian silversmiths to recreate archaic kovshi.

 

Accordingly, Russian silversmiths employed a 16^th century boat-like kovshi as their prototype, a shape distinctly different from more recent kovshi. Indeed, by the 19^th century, kovshi shape had gradually evolved over several centuries: court kovshi had been modeled on peasant-made wooden kovshi, which had been modeled on previously modified court kovshi. 

 

Reviving the kovshi’s archaic shape proved highly popular. By the late 19^th century, Russia’s famous Ovchinnikov and Khlebnikov firms had begun producing kovshi decorated with cloisonné enamel.  Later kovshi would employ filigree and enamel to produce geometric folk patterns and stylized foliage. Though highly skilled craftsmen required several months to produce such objects d’ art, the kovsh continued to be favored by high-end craftsmen even as interest in Russian historicism waned. Indeed, enamel kovshi continued to be produced until the Soviets came to power.

Kovshi Terms

Zhalovannye: presentation kovshi given by the tsars beginning in the 16^th century

Piti: individual drinking kovshi

Vynosnye: larger kovshi used to serve several people

Khoromne: Imperial Court kovshi with the double-headed eagle design and inscription

 

Bibliography
Hare, Richard.  The Art and Artists of Russia New York Graphic Society. 1966.
Hilton, Alison. Russian Folk Art . Indiana University Press. 1995
Ilyin, M. Russian Decorative Folk Art . Moscow, 1959.

Kruglova, O.V. Traditional Russian Carved and Painted Woodwork Izobrazitelnoye Iskusstvo. Moscow. 1974.
Lincoln, W. Bruce. Moscow Treasures and Traditions . University of Washington. 1990.
Odom, Anne. "Russkii stil': the Russian style for export." Magazine Antiques. Mar.2003

Odom, Anne. Russian Enamels: From Kievan Rus to Faberge. Philip Wilson Publishers. 2003

Paulson, P. Guide to Russian Works of Art 1980. Washington, D.C.
Taylor, Katrina V. Hillwood Washington, D.C: Hillwood Museum. 1988.
Von Solodkoff. Russian Gold and Silverwork . Rizzoli. 1981.
Voyce, Arthur. Art and Architecture of Medieval Russia University of Oklahoma Press. Norman, OK. 1967