{"product_id":"silberbecher-paar-pope-und-balda-puschkin-925-silber-niello","title":"Pair of Silver Cups “The Priest and Balda” – Pushkin Series, 925 Silver Gold-Plated Inside with Niello","description":"\u003cp\u003eA workman who works for three flicks on the forehead a year, a priest who wants to save on wages, and a little devil who lets himself be fooled by a rope: Pushkin’s tale of the priest and his workman Balda is the cheeky sister of the tales series. The pair of cups in 925 silver, gold-plated inside, takes it with a wink: a gift for people with a sense of satire, for collectors and for hosts who want to laugh when they raise a glass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"margin: 2em 0; padding: 1.5em; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #f8f6f0 0%, #fff 100%); border: 1px solid #e8e0d0; border-radius: 8px; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin: 0 0 0.5em 0; font-size: 0.85em; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 2px; color: #967031;\"\u003eThe cheeky side of the series\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"margin: 0 0 0.5em 0; font-size: 1.3em; color: #090302;\"\u003eSatire in silver\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin: 0 0 1em 0; color: #555; font-size: 0.95em;\"\u003ePushkin’s tales know mockery too. Here you find all the pieces of the series.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003ca href=\"\/en\/collections\/puschkin-maerchen-silber-niello\" style=\"display: inline-block; padding: 0.7em 2em; background: #090302; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.9em; letter-spacing: 1px;\"\u003eTo the series\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"border-left: 4px solid #967031; padding: 20px; margin: 20px 0; background: #f2f2f2;\"\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"color: #090302; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0;\"\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003ePair of cups The Priest and Balda in detail\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n    ✦ Two silver cups in the manufactory’s original wooden box\u003cbr\u003e\n    ✦ Material: 925 silver (sterling), gold-plated inside and on the wide rim, smooth silver foot below\u003cbr\u003e\n    ✦ Decoration: hand-engraved niello all around, Balda before the priest and Balda at the sea on one side, the cartouche on the other\u003cbr\u003e\n    ✦ Dimensions per cup: approx. Ø 64 × 93 mm, weight approx. 108 g (the pair approx. 216 g, without the box)\u003cbr\u003e\n    ✦ Box: wood with burgundy velvet, approx. 196 × 150 × 78 mm\u003cbr\u003e\n    ✦ Cartouche: lyre, Pushkin’s name and the title of the tale of the priest and his workman Balda in Cyrillic script between floral tendrils\u003cbr\u003e\n    ✦ Engraving: after checking with the manufacturer, via the \u003ca href=\"\/en\/products\/gravur-service-20-zeichen\"\u003eengraving service\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n    ✦ SilberVerse card: free on request (\u003ca href=\"\/en\/pages\/ueber-silberverse\"\u003eSilberVerse card\u003c\/a\u003e, 15 × 10 cm)\u003cbr\u003e\n    ✦ Manufacturer: SevChern, Veliky Ustyug\u003cbr\u003e\n    ✦ Slight differences from the photo are a sign of handcraft — usually for the better\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eBalda before the priest, Balda at the sea\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the first cup Balda stands before the priest, on the second he sits at the water, beside him the little devil with horns. The scenes are worked out in the manufactory right down to the bast shoes and sit in oval fields between floral work. Gold shimmers inside and on the rim, while below the foot stays plainly silver.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCheap workman, expensive lesson\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe priest looks for a worker who costs almost nothing and finds Balda: a year of work for three flicks on the forehead. Balda toils for seven, and the priest grows afraid at the thought of payment. He sends the workman to the devils to collect rent. Balda lures the little devil onto the water, defeats him with cunning and a rope, and has the sack of money carried for him. In the end the wages are paid out in flicks; the lesson is part of the tale itself: whoever looks for cheap labour pays dearly. The \u003ca href=\"\/en\/products\/silberbesteck-pope-und-balda-puschkin-925-silber-vergoldet-niello\"\u003esilver cutlery The Priest and Balda\u003c\/a\u003e also tells this punchline onward.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eNiello meets humour\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat even a cheeky story holds up in silver is shown by the niello technique: lines are engraved into the metal, filled with black mass and polished, so that a picture arises as from an old book, only permanent. Veliky Ustyug has been documented as a place of niello art since 1683. The gold medal of Paris 1937 went to the Artel Severnaya Chern of the time for tableware with Pushkin tale motifs. \u003ca href=\"\/en\/blogs\/silberkunst\/sevchern-geheimnis-3-handgravur-stichel\"\u003eHow the graver is guided\u003c\/a\u003e is described in our journal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFor people with dry humour\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pair suits the milestone birthday of a friend with humour, as a \u003ca href=\"\/en\/collections\/luxusgeschenke-fuer-maenner\"\u003eluxury gift for men\u003c\/a\u003e, for an anniversary among colleagues or as a business gift for connoisseurs of Russian poetry. A silver wedding anniversary can take satire too, especially when both know Balda. The \u003ca href=\"\/en\/products\/silberbesteck-24-teilig-6-personen-puschkin-serie-925-silber\"\u003ecase for six people\u003c\/a\u003e lays the table for it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eBriefly asked about the pair of cups The Priest and Balda\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is this tale about?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbout a miserly priest and a clever workman who outwits devils and employer. The tone is more mocking than in most of the others; more stories are in the collection \u003ca href=\"\/en\/collections\/puschkin-maerchen-silber-niello\"\u003ePushkin’s Tales in Niello Silver\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs gold-plated the same as gold?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo, it is a thin layer of gold on 925 silver, here on the rim and inside.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow do I care for niello silver?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRinse by hand, dry, polish softly. Not in the dishwasher, no silver dip, no baking soda, no aluminium foil. More on this in the \u003ca href=\"\/en\/blogs\/nielloa\/nielloa-technik-erklaert\"\u003eniello guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I add a dedication of my own?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes. Simply order the engraving service along with it and write in the “order note at checkout” field what you have in mind. Whether and how the engraving works, we check afterwards with SevChern; if it is not feasible, you get the flat fee back. A greeting without engraving is available as a SilberVerse, created for the occasion and names, free on request.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"margin: 2em 0; padding: 1.5em; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #f8f6f0 0%, #fff 100%); border: 1px solid #e8e0d0; border-radius: 8px; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin: 0 0 0.5em 0; font-size: 0.85em; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 2px; color: #967031;\"\u003ePerfect for toasting\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"margin: 0 0 0.5em 0; font-size: 1.3em; color: #090302;\"\u003eSilver cups and glasses\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin: 0 0 1em 0; color: #555; font-size: 0.95em;\"\u003eMore drinking vessels in 925 silver for guests and hosts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003ca href=\"\/en\/collections\/trinkglaeser-925-silber\" style=\"display: inline-block; padding: 0.7em 2em; background: #090302; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.9em; letter-spacing: 1px;\"\u003eView drinking vessels\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"SevChern","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59583159828812,"sku":"13032","price":2987.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0825\/4783\/5212\/files\/silberbecher-paar-pope-und-balda-puschkin-925-silber-freisteller.png?v=1793108818","url":"https:\/\/premiumgeschenk.de\/en\/products\/silberbecher-paar-pope-und-balda-puschkin-925-silber-niello","provider":"Premium Geschenkideen","version":"1.0","type":"link"}