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Tula Samovars

 

 

Background
Though samovars may have appeared more than a thousand years ago (at least in the Caucasus and/or Central Asia), they were naturally embraced over simple teapots anywhere hot tea was served. In contrast to teapots, samovars contained an internal metal tube heated by burned charcoal to keep water hot. Thus, when tea became readily available to Russians in the 18th century, samovars soon followed.

Initially, samovars were mainly produced in the Urals, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Tula. Eventually however, Tula’s rich ore deposits and highly skilled metal smiths (primarily gunsmiths) gave the city a competitive advantage. Samovar production began early in Tula, with the first samovar workshops and factories in Russia built by the late 18th century.

 

During the 1800s, samovar manufacturers increasingly located in Tula. Between 1820 and 1850, samovar producers increased their number from 8 to 28. Before centuries end, at least 40 samovar manufacturers were operating in Tula.  By 1900, over half a million samovars were being produced in Tula alone (the largest producer was the Batashev bros.). However, the required traditional tools and hand-assembly required for (painstakingly slow) production helped small workshops survive.  Often these firms prospered by creating or capturing a particular samovar-market niche.

Though samovar production reached its peak by the turn-of-the-century, samovars were just beginning to become popular abroad. International expositions in particular helped samovar manufacturers showcase their award products for markets abroad. Unfortunately, World War I and the 1917 Soviet Revolution compelled Tula metal smiths to return to the armament industry.

By the 1930s, Tula had become the primary city for samovar-production in the Soviet Union. During this time, smaller samovar workshops were incorporated into larger factories and samovar quality was sacrificed for mass production needs. Nonetheless, the famous Shtamp company in Tula introduced a nickel-plating assembly line. Eventually, electrical samovars would be introduced at Shtamp in 1956. More recently, Shtamp  spun-off its samovar production facilities.

 

II. Design

Design, along with metal and size, determined prices. Those with a more utilitarian design were sold by weight. In contrast, more complex samovars were sold by piece. Samovars could range in size from 8 to 10 inches tall (for compact, traveling samovars equipped with handles and removable legs, compartments to prepare food) to 16 to 22 inch tall restaurant/hotel samovars.

Early 18th century samovars were spherical in shape, not altogether different from the traditional bratina (spherical Russian toasting cups). Later in the century, Tula samovar makers began producing classical style samovars that resembled ancient Greek urns and vases.

By the 19th century, several shapes emerged as samovars became increasingly popular among the growing middle class. The best known shapes are cylindrical (roughly welded with little decoration during World War 1- also widely spread after price reduction and standardization imposed during Soviet times); spherical (otherwise known as “onion-shaped” or “turnip-shaped”, very popular in the late 19th century); krater, (ancient Greek vase); egg-like; barrel-shaped, (or “peasant-shaped”); and con (often with a fluted design).

 

Many samovar producers sought to find a market niche producing a particular shape. Indeed, Tula's competitive environment compelled metal smiths to remain creative in samovar production.

 

 

III. Material:

Copper and alloys: Early samovars, called “chaynik samovars”, were simply crafted out of copper and appeared in traditional teapot form. Such samovars were easy to hand-make: copper ingots were hammered into copper sheets, cut and shaped. Copper’s high thermal conductivity helps such samovars effectively retain heat. However, Tula samovars most often utilized copper alloys (brass in  particular  and often  bronze as well) in production.

Likewise, Tula workers most often used brass for its malleability, versatility, and beauty. A copper and zinc alloy, brass has properties that allow it to be cast (for non-symmetrical parts), tinned, and polished to a mirror finish. (Note: years of polishing can wear even brass down). A low (17%) zinc alloy, pinchbeck, was frequently used for its similar appearance to gold. Brass with a high zinc composition (>35%), known as yellow brass, is known to yields greater density (strength), close tolerances, cost effectiveness, and flawlessness than other metals.

Bronze, a copper and tin alloy, can also be cast to produce samovars. The tin alloy, containing varying amounts of zinc (for added strength) and lead (for machinability), was originally used for making cannons in Tula. Bronze is heavier than copper or brass but is generally less expensive to use. However, red tombak samovars are  famed  for  their  reddish  gold  appearance (derived from phosphor bronze)  and highly valued (produced by the Vorontsov & Lomova bros. factories).

 

Samovars that were nickel-plated were once held in greater esteem that all-brass samovars. Incidentally, cupronickel, a copper (75%) and nickel (25%) alloy used today to make silver-colored circulation coins, was employed for  its  anti-corrosive  properties.   Not surprisingly,  nickel  resembles  silver  and  retains its brightness for a long time.

Silver: Silver samovars became popular among wealthy families in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the mid-19th century. These samovars were valued as much for their superior heat conductivity as their beauty. Such  samovars  were  durable,  highly ornate  (baroque  style),  and   not   more  than  18” high.   Required accessories included a tea strainer, sugar-tongs, and teaspoon set.

Silver-plated brass and bronze samovars, popular among the middle-class, also protected a samovar’s interior against organic decay. However, such samovars lacked the superior heat conductivity found with full silver. (Note: Silver samovars also have an 84 silver mark stamped on all their individual parts).

Other metals: Iron and steel samovars produced in Tula are relatively rare. Though rare, nickel and gold was used as interior gilding material on some samovars as well. More commonly, tin was used on the inside of a samovar. Resistance to organic decay, tin is an excellent sealant and can often be found where vessel joints would leak. These  plating  metals  helped  prevent  mineral buildup  from  interacting  with  copper  to produce toxins

 

 Parts

The traditional samovar is a metallic container with a faucet at the bottom and a vertical metal pipe (filled with fuel to heat the water) encased within. A ornamental-type teapot (the kamforka) is on top. Electric samovars have quite different parts: an electrical compartment and spiral immersion heater (and internal heating coil) to replace the empty ventilation chamber and inner tube, respectively.

The combustion chamber (the truba) is a thick tube with bars at its bottom to prevent fuel from reaching the ventilation chamber.   A  tablet  was a  vital  accessory to catch  dripping charcoal from  the combustion chamber. A door exists to take the ashes out when they accumulate.

 

Neck & Ventilation Chamber (poddon): The hatch has small holes to prevent the samovar from overheating. Small intake holes also allow for oxygen to be supplied.  Handles (shishki):The samovar’s handles are riveted or welded to the hatch. Older samovars used wood, ivory, or even bone for their poor heat conductivity. More recent samovars have handles made from Bakelite and other plastics.

 
Spout (kran): The faucet is simply a spigot key (vetka) and spout. They leak if not properly fitted together. In particular, the valve (funnel) needs to be off-center for it to be closed. Many spouts were intricately designed to resemble an ornate key or plant. 

 

Base: The base is typically cast with a heavier metal than the rest of the samovar to prevent tipping.  Inner wall: The inner wall is tinned primarily for health reasons. Tinning also prevents leaks and is thickly applied where leaks were most likely (near the heating chimney, handle, and faucet). When the tinning layer becomes thick and heating capacity is reduced, the tinning has to be removed and samovar re-tinned.

Accessories: Some samovars have a tray on the bottom, large enough to contain the samovar, drip bowl and other serving accessories. They also keep hot charcoal ashes and liquids from falling on the table as well. Such trays are typically round or oval (with handles), though a keyhole shape (round with a square projection on the back to place the samovar) is also common.

The Drip Bowl, to catch drips when the spout is no longer watertight, is usually made of the same material as the samovar. Likewise, samovars may include a teapot that fits into the holder on top of the samovar.

 

V. Seals & Marks

Seals: Samovar producers generally stamp their name, company hallmark, and exhibition awards on the samovars. Like other state-owned objects d’art, the tsar had his portrait and the double-headed imperial eagle seal stamped on state-owned samovars. Occasionally, seals can be helpful in approximately dating samovars. An excellent photographic illustration of samovar company seals can be found here.

Award seals for workmanship or artistic ability are helpful in dating samovars. Many seals showcase international exposition awards (such as “London International Universal Exhibition, 1897” or “Exposition Universal, France 1900”). If no dates appear, the most recent czar depicted can provide an approximate date:

1801-1825 Alexander I
1825-1855 Nicholas I
1855-1881 Alexander II
1881-1894 Alexander III
1894-1917 Nicholas II

 

Marks: The Russian silver standard is recognized by the numbers 84, 88, and 91: zolotniks found per 96 zolotniks (or a pound) of pure silver (gold is similarly represented by 56, 72, and 96). Russian silver generally has 4 marks: the maker's initials or name, the silver-testing city's coat-of-arms, the assayer's initials, and the pure silver proportion as stated above.

The kokoshnik headdress remains the Russian mark for both gold and silver objects in the twentieth century. Previously, Moscow-made objects had an St.George and Dragon mark. Likewise, St. Petersburg had a double-headed eagle until 1742 when it was replace by the new city arms (scepter with two crossed anchors). Those that have no marks may have either been made in rural workshops or polished off. Finally, samovars bearing a craftsman’s mark are more rare than factory-made models.

 

 

VI. Companies
Batashev, Alexis & Ivan
Burashev, S.
Diakov
Fabrika M.A. Getsova
Kondrat Dmitrievitch Gornin
Lisitsin, Ivan
Lomova, Vasilly
Lyaliny
Malikov, Nicholas
Morozov:
Shemarin Bros. of Tula
Sokolov
Teyle, B.G.
Vankin, Ye
Vorontsov, N.A.
Yermilov, G.

Bibliography
Israfil, Mehmet Nabi. Samovars: The Art of the Russian Metalworkers Fil Caravan: New York, NY. 1990.
Berry, Mary Jane. The Samovar: Its History and Use Mary Jane Berry. Anchorage, AL. 1971.
Website access 11/23/04: http://www.regina-karolyi.de/Samowar_stempel.html