Do you give a piece to use or one to tell stories with? The Pushkin Series by SevChern is both. On table silver in 925 sterling silver stand scenes from the tales of Alexander Pushkin: filled with niello and gold-plated inside. Fourteen pieces belong to it, from cutlery for one person to the case for six. Made for connoisseurs of Russian culture and for collectors.
The Pushkin Series at a glance
✦ Series: 14 pieces for six works by Pushkin, made by SevChern in Veliky Ustyug
✦ Forms: cutlery set of 4 pieces for one person, pair of cups, charki pair (shot cups) and a case with 24 pieces for six people
✦ Material: 925 sterling silver, gold-plated, with hand-engraved niello; the knife blade is made of stainless steel
✦ Gold plating: on cutlery at the bowls, tines and handles, on cups and charki inside and on the rim
✦ Cartouche: lyre, Pushkin’s name and the tale’s title in Cyrillic script
✦ Delivery: in the manufactory’s original wooden box, the case in its wooden case
The six tales and their pieces
Every cutlery set and every pair of cups belongs to one tale. You will find more silver cutlery sets and silver glasses and cups in the neighbouring categories.
Fisherman and Fish
An old fisherman lets a caught fish go, and his wife demands wish after wish in return. Many know the material from the Brothers Grimm’s “The Fisherman and His Wife”. On the cutlery you see the old man and the old woman, the big scaly fish and the net. The pair of cups shows the old woman in splendid robes with servants and the fisherman at the sea.
The Tsar’s Daughter and her knights
In the tale of the dead princess and the seven knights, a jealous tsarina, a mirror and an apple set the plot in motion; anyone who knows Snow White is at home here at once. The cutlery carries the tsarina with mirror and apple, and on the handle the tsar’s daughter. On the pair of cups knights in helmets stand around her. As a small format there is the charki pair with tsar’s daughter and tsarina.
Tsar Saltan and the swan
Tsarina and son are sent out to sea in a barrel; young Gvidon grows up on an island and rescues a swan. Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera about it contains the “Flight of the Bumblebee”. On the cutlery appear the swan princess, bird of prey and swan, Gvidon with the barrel at the sea. The cups show knights rising from the waves and the fight of swan and bird of prey.
The Golden Cockerel
A cockerel on the tower warns the tsar of danger until in the end it turns against him; Rimsky-Korsakov wrote an opera about it. The cutlery shows the tower with the cockerel and scenes at the tsar’s court, the pair of cups a woman in a tent, the Queen of Shemakha, and the cockerel above the bearded tsar.
Ruslan and Ludmila
Strictly speaking a verse epic: the sorcerer Chernomor abducts the bride Ludmila (also spelled “Ludmilla”), Ruslan sets out to fetch her, Glinka set it to music. On the cutlery you find the sorcerer in clouds, Ludmila with a headdress and a knight in a helmet. The pair of cups shows the giant head with helmet and Ruslan on horseback.
The Priest and Balda
A satire with a wink: the miserly priest hires the workman Balda and is thoroughly shown up by him. Little devils with horns decorate the handles of the cutlery, on the pair of cups Balda stands before the priest and at the sea. A piece for hosts with humour.
Anyone who does not want to decide on one tale takes the case for six people: 24 pieces, with scenes from Pushkin’s tales on all of them.
How the pictures get into the silver
First, every scene is cut by hand, stroke by stroke, with no chance of correction (this is how the graver works). The dark niello mass goes into the furrows and is fired in. Without it, it would be an engraving; with it, it becomes relief: the picture sits in the metal, not on it, and with every polish it gains contrast.
The front of the cutlery carries a cartouche with lyre, laurel, Pushkin’s name and the tale’s title in Cyrillic script; the scenes lie on the back of the bowls and handles. On cups and charki the cartouche appears between floral tendrils, opposite the scenes.
Veliky Ustyug and Paris 1937
The niello art of Veliky Ustyug in the Russian north has been documented in writing since 1683. In 1933 the Artel Severnaya Chern, today SevChern, was founded there. In 1937 it received a gold medal at the World’s Fair in Paris for tableware with motifs from Pushkin’s tales. We tell the history of the manufactory in detail. The series is a new line by SevChern, not a reproduction of those pieces.
For which occasion
For a wedding or a wedding anniversary you choose the cutlery for the couple, for a silver wedding anniversary the case from which the family will later eat. As an anniversary gift or at Christmas the series tells its story by itself. For collectors the series grows tale by tale. For personal words there is the engraving service, whose execution we clarify after checking with the manufacturer, and a SilberVerse: a verse created individually for the occasion and name, free on request.
Care
Wash the pieces by hand and dry them immediately. Dishwasher, silver dips and household remedies such as aluminium foil or baking soda stay off limits, because they attack the niello. How you treat niello silver properly is explained in the guide to the niello technique.
Frequently asked questions
Which is a well-known Russian tale?
The one about Tsar Saltan is among them; it was set to music by Rimsky-Korsakov. You will find it as cutlery and as a pair of cups.
What is niello silver?
Silver into whose engraved lines a dark mass is fired. The pattern lies in the metal and does not flake off. How the lines are made is described in the article on how the graver works.
What does gold-plated mean for cutlery?
A thin layer of gold lies on the silver, here on bowls, tines and handles, on cups and charki inside and on the rim. The silver beneath remains 925 sterling. More in the article on gilding and polish.
Can silver cutlery go in the dishwasher?
Not this cutlery. Wash by hand, dry, and leave household remedies out; the advice is in the niello guide.
Can I mix tales at the table?
Yes, the shape is the same for all place settings. Each cutlery set covers one person; for six guests with changing scenes you take the case.
