The exhibition of the Museum “The Smolensk Fortress” includes a number of household items typically used in a large Russian city in the 17th and 18th centuries. Among them is an extremely intriguing rarity — not a wooden, but a metal 18th-century spoon.
This type of cutlery symbolizes the Upper City Market on the conditional map of Smolensk. Now this area in the city center, surrounded by the fortress wall, is densely built up, and nothing reminds of how lively the local market was. Wooden and stone shops, chapels, and the town hall — all these buildings are now lost.
In the 18th century, the city market in Smolensk took place on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It was always possible to buy various types of food from peasants who came from neighboring villages, as well as merchants.
The spoon from the exhibition belongs to the same era and perfectly reflects the theme of trade and urban life. Both individual artisans and large enterprises made spoons, including for the needs of the army. These spoons retained their form until the early 20th century.
The onion-shaped oval part was typical of the most ancient spoons. The short handle made it convenient to carry the spoon during military campaigns. The strength of the material — a copper alloy — became the key to the good preservation of the exhibit, despite its long history.
The lack of decor emphasizes the practical purpose of this artifact. It is common knowledge that spoons that were used during the royal and boyar feasts could be decorated with engraving and niello. They were made of precious metals, and were more often used as decorative objects to be displayed in cabinets and on shelves, rather than to be used during feasts.
The only decorative element of the spoon from the exhibition of the Museum “The Smolensk Fortress” is a pattern on the handle. It is made using the torsion technique: the master clamped one end of the metal rod in a vise, and gradually turned the other along the axis. The result was a decor of spiral stripes. This sample represents the culture of the townspeople of Smolensk.
This type of cutlery symbolizes the Upper City Market on the conditional map of Smolensk. Now this area in the city center, surrounded by the fortress wall, is densely built up, and nothing reminds of how lively the local market was. Wooden and stone shops, chapels, and the town hall — all these buildings are now lost.
In the 18th century, the city market in Smolensk took place on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It was always possible to buy various types of food from peasants who came from neighboring villages, as well as merchants.
The spoon from the exhibition belongs to the same era and perfectly reflects the theme of trade and urban life. Both individual artisans and large enterprises made spoons, including for the needs of the army. These spoons retained their form until the early 20th century.
The onion-shaped oval part was typical of the most ancient spoons. The short handle made it convenient to carry the spoon during military campaigns. The strength of the material — a copper alloy — became the key to the good preservation of the exhibit, despite its long history.
The lack of decor emphasizes the practical purpose of this artifact. It is common knowledge that spoons that were used during the royal and boyar feasts could be decorated with engraving and niello. They were made of precious metals, and were more often used as decorative objects to be displayed in cabinets and on shelves, rather than to be used during feasts.
The only decorative element of the spoon from the exhibition of the Museum “The Smolensk Fortress” is a pattern on the handle. It is made using the torsion technique: the master clamped one end of the metal rod in a vise, and gradually turned the other along the axis. The result was a decor of spiral stripes. This sample represents the culture of the townspeople of Smolensk.
