The word ‘polushtof’ (half-shtof) comes from the German ‘stof’ and means Russian unit of liquid volume equal to ½ of the bottle. As a rule, it was used in restaurants to measure the amount of wine and vodka. In addition, a bottle or other container with a volume of ½ of shtof was called ‘polushtof’.
The decree of 1835 legalized the following system of measurement for liquids:
Bucket = 1/40 of a barrel = 2 half-buckets = 10 shtofs (mugs) = 16 wine bottles = 20 half-shtofs (vodka bottles) = 100 cups = 200 cupboards.
Thus, the volume of the bucket was basic for sample and drinking measures of liquid. The decree defined the volume of a Russian bucket as a container containing 30 pounds of distilled water. In metric terms, the volume of the bucket is equivalent to approximately 12.3 liters. A polushtof or mug was equal to 1/10 of a bucket or contained a little more than one liter. A shtof introduced under tsar Peter I served as a measure of the volume of all alcoholic beverages.
According to the wine statute, every drinking establishment had to have ‘measures attested in the Treasury Chamber’. It was provided for the production and branding of the following measures: half a bucket, a quarter of a bucket (bottle quarter), 1/32 of a bucket, and 1/40 of a bucket.
The half-shtof presented in the museum’s collection is made of an alloy of bronze and brass.
It is a container in the form of a truncated cone with a figured handle. The round flat bottom is slightly recessed. The circlet protrudes outward at an acute angle. On the side, there is a handle on two bases in the shape of hearts. On the front side, there is the following vertical inscription: “POLUSHTOF / SHAPOSHNIKOVY / IN MOSCOW / 1884”. The handle has an engraving in the form of the letter “N”. Most likely, the item was used in a drinking establishment.
The product is made at the Shaposhnikovy Copper and Brass Factory. The history of the company began at the beginning of the 19th century. The factory supplied samovars, pots, pans, plates, and church utensils to the shops of the Moscow merchants and the fairs. Samovars of the factory were repeatedly awarded medals at exhibitions. In 1860, the factory was purchased by the Moscow merchant Efim Shaposhnikov, and after his death, the owners of the plant became the heirs, i.e. his widow and son Nikolay. The letter “N” on the handle of the presented half-shtof indicates that it was Nikolay Shaposhnikov who owned the plant in 1884 when the product was created.
The decree of 1835 legalized the following system of measurement for liquids:
Bucket = 1/40 of a barrel = 2 half-buckets = 10 shtofs (mugs) = 16 wine bottles = 20 half-shtofs (vodka bottles) = 100 cups = 200 cupboards.
Thus, the volume of the bucket was basic for sample and drinking measures of liquid. The decree defined the volume of a Russian bucket as a container containing 30 pounds of distilled water. In metric terms, the volume of the bucket is equivalent to approximately 12.3 liters. A polushtof or mug was equal to 1/10 of a bucket or contained a little more than one liter. A shtof introduced under tsar Peter I served as a measure of the volume of all alcoholic beverages.
According to the wine statute, every drinking establishment had to have ‘measures attested in the Treasury Chamber’. It was provided for the production and branding of the following measures: half a bucket, a quarter of a bucket (bottle quarter), 1/32 of a bucket, and 1/40 of a bucket.
The half-shtof presented in the museum’s collection is made of an alloy of bronze and brass.
It is a container in the form of a truncated cone with a figured handle. The round flat bottom is slightly recessed. The circlet protrudes outward at an acute angle. On the side, there is a handle on two bases in the shape of hearts. On the front side, there is the following vertical inscription: “POLUSHTOF / SHAPOSHNIKOVY / IN MOSCOW / 1884”. The handle has an engraving in the form of the letter “N”. Most likely, the item was used in a drinking establishment.
The product is made at the Shaposhnikovy Copper and Brass Factory. The history of the company began at the beginning of the 19th century. The factory supplied samovars, pots, pans, plates, and church utensils to the shops of the Moscow merchants and the fairs. Samovars of the factory were repeatedly awarded medals at exhibitions. In 1860, the factory was purchased by the Moscow merchant Efim Shaposhnikov, and after his death, the owners of the plant became the heirs, i.e. his widow and son Nikolay. The letter “N” on the handle of the presented half-shtof indicates that it was Nikolay Shaposhnikov who owned the plant in 1884 when the product was created.
