Pair of Silver Cups “Fisherman and Fish” – Pushkin Series, 925 Silver Gold-Plated Inside with Niello

A fisherman hauls in his net, a talking fish offers any wish as ransom, and his wife will not let up: Pushkin’s tale of the fisherman and the fish appears here as a pair of 925 silver cups, gold-plated inside, for the table. The cups belong with hosts who bring a story along when they raise a glass, with couples and with collectors of Russian silver art.

Silver cups with scenes from the sea

On the first cup the old woman stands in splendid robes, surrounded by servants: the moment when the hut has become a royal court. The second belongs to the fisherman at the sea, the man who never really wanted anything. Both pictures are engraved by hand and sit in oval fields between floral tendrils. On the reverse appears the cartouche with the lyre, the ancient sign of poetry.

What Pushkin’s tale is about

An old fisherman pulls a fish out of his net that begs for its life. The old man lets it swim away, and his wife keeps sending him back to the shore: first for a new trough, then for a house, later for the rank of a noblewoman, finally for the tsar’s throne. When she wants to rule the sea itself, the fish falls silent, and the old trough stands in front of the hut again. You may know the pattern from the Brothers Grimm’s “The Fisherman and His Wife”. The same story is told by the Fisherman and Fish silver cutlery.

Niello: ink in silver

Imagine ink in silver: the lines are drawn into the metal with the graver, the recesses are filled with dark niello mass and fired in, and then everything is polished. How much calm lies in the engraving is shown by the fine hatching of the waves. SevChern works in Veliky Ustyug, a town where niello has been documented since 1683. At the Paris World’s Fair of 1937, gold went to the Artel Severnaya Chern of the time, honouring tableware with motifs from Pushkin’s tales; you can read their story.

When this pair deserves the table

For a wedding it suits as a gift for two, for a wedding anniversary or a silver wedding anniversary with a wink, because the tale warns of the wish that never ends. It is also well received for an anniversary, a milestone birthday, Christmas or as a business gift. Anyone who wants to lay the whole table should look at the cutlery case for six people.

Questions about the pair of cups Fisherman and Fish

Is this a well-known Russian tale?
Yes, the fisherman and his fish are among Pushkin’s best-loved stories. More tales from the series are gathered in the collection Pushkin’s Tales in Niello Silver.

What is niello silver?
Silver with a fired-in dark drawing: the pattern sits in the metal rather than on it.

What are the cups meant for?
For water, wine or vodka, just as well for raising a toast at the festive table.

How do I care for the cups?
Rinse by hand, dry immediately, not in the dishwasher. Aluminium foil and baking soda attack the niello; a soft cloth is enough. More in the niello guide.

Can a dedication be added to the cups?
Through the engraving service, which you add to the cups. Note your wish in the “order note at checkout” field. Afterwards, together with SevChern, we check whether the execution works and where it can sit. If the engraving is not possible, we refund the flat fee. And without engraving: a SilberVerse, a verse that picks up the occasion and name and is created individually for them, free on request.