SAMOVAR. First half of the 19th cent. Vasili Lomov’s factory. Tula Brass. Ht. 38.5 cm. State Russian Museum

The reputation of the town and government of Tula as the leading centre of samovar production was firmly established in the second half of the 18th century. At first dozens, and later hundreds of factories and shops, both large and small, worked in this area, vying with each other in the technical and artistic perfection of their productions. This keen competition accounts for the high standards of quality, and for the exceptionally great variety of shapes and ornamentation seen in the Tula samovars.
The truly Inexhaustible imagination of the Tula craftsmen is well illustrated by the samovar shaped as a barrel with hoops, with the figure of a dolphin for the tap.