When the cut glass appeared. Who invented the cut glass: history and facts

This integral attribute of Soviet life was first manufactured in 1943 at the oldest glass factory in Russia in the city of Gus-Khrustalny, exactly in the form in which we are accustomed to seeing it.
A classic of Soviet-era tableware, today the cut glass is becoming a rarity.

The Soviet cut glass was created by a sculptor. At least, it is believed that the design for this particular glass was developed by the famous Soviet sculptor, creator of the famous monument “Worker and Collective Farm Woman” Vera Mukhina. According to one legend, she created this “masterpiece” of glassware together with the author of “Black Square” Kazimir Malevich in besieged Leningrad in 1943.




The cost of the glass depended on the number of sides. Glasses with 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 sides were produced. There were also 17, but the release with an odd number of edges is more complex, so we settled on the most acceptable and convenient one - with 16 edges. The first faceted glasses had 10 sides and cost 3 kopecks. The classic 16-sided one costs 7 kopecks, and if it’s more grooved, with 20 edges, then 14 kopecks. But the capacity of the glass remained unchanged: to the glass rim - 200 ml, to the brim - 250 ml.


The appearance of a faceted glass is due to scientific and technological progress. This shape and structure of the glass was dictated by production necessity, and not by the artist’s imagination. Even before the war, Soviet engineers invented a miracle of technology - a dishwasher, in which only dishes of a certain shape and size could be washed. This particular glass was very suitable for this unit, and besides, it was very durable due to the thickness and special method of making the glass.


Associated with the Soviet faceted glass famous expression“think for three.” During the time of Khrushchev, the sale of vodka by the glass was banned, and very convenient bottles called “bastards” - 125 ml each and “chekushki” - 200 ml each were removed from sale. Now a half-liter bottle of vodka did not fit into 2 glasses, but was divided into three glasses perfectly - “according to conscience.” If you pour into a glass up to the glass rim, then exactly 167 grams of vodka enters, which is a third of a half-liter bottle.




A Moldovan historian names the Soviet cut glass as the reason for drunkenness in Moldova. According to Veaceslav Stavilă, until 1944, while Soviet troops They didn’t liberate Moldova from the fascist occupiers; people in the country drank from small 50-milliliter glasses. Soviet soldiers They brought a faceted, capacious glass, resistant to falling and durable. After this, Moldovans began to drink more.




People called the Soviet faceted glass “Malenkovsky”. This is due to the Minister of Defense Georgy Malenkov, on whose orders for individual categories military personnel were allocated 200 g of vodka, given at lunch. Those who did not drink were allowed to exchange their rations in the volume of a faceted glass for a tobacco ration or sugar. This rule did not last long, but was very memorable for many who served at that time.


In the 80s of the 20th century, Soviet faceted glasses began to explode en masse. There were rumors among the people about a new anti-alcohol campaign, about the machinations of capitalists who encroached on the “sacred” and chose the most successful object. But everything turned out to be much more prosaic. An imported line for the production of glasses was installed at the plant and they stopped taking into account precision technology manufacturing. As a result, the glasses began to crumble, burst at the seams, and the bottoms fell off. One woman’s table set for the holiday “exploded.” This fact was noted in one of the issues of the satirical film magazine “Wick”.




The Soviet cut glass was widely used in public catering. This is a well-known fact. But few people know that this fact is recognized by experts as an unofficial cultural sign Soviet era, as a symbol of something social, public, unifying. And indeed it is. Common faceted glasses were in soda water machines, in canteens with compote and kefir, with tea and jelly in kindergartens and schools.


And on railway They still serve tea in Soviet-style cut glasses with a glass holder, which is surprisingly pleasant and cute.

September 11th is the day of the cut glass. No, this is not a joke on drinkers, but a good reason 🙂 September 11, 1943 is considered the birthday of this glassware. As history shows, it was on this day that the first Soviet cut glass was produced at the glass factory in Gus-Khrustalny.

(Total 7 photos)

1. The design of the Soviet-style cut glass is attributed to Vera Mukhina, the author of the monumental composition “Worker and Collective Farm Woman.” However, there is no documentary evidence of this. According to some reports, Vera Ignatievna developed the shape of the glass specifically for Soviet catering.

2. The “Mukhinsky” glass, thanks to the smooth ring that runs along the circumference and distinguishes it from a faceted glass of a traditional shape, is not only very durable, but also convenient for washing in dishwashers. Thanks to this, the Soviet glass long years registered in canteens and on railway transport.

3. It was also actively used in street vending machines selling carbonated drinks.

4. The dimensions of a standard faceted glass are 65 millimeters in diameter and 90 millimeters in height. The very first glass had 16 sides, which is considered today a classic of the genre. There are specimens with 12, 14, 18, 20 edges, as well as 17 edges (but they are not so typical, since it is easier to produce glasses with an even number of edges). At the bottom of the glass, as a rule, the price was squeezed out - 7 or 14 kopecks (that’s how much “20-sided ones” cost).

5. As for the ordinary cut glass glass (without the upper smooth rim), it was known much earlier - back in the time of Peter the Great. It is attested that the faceted glass was given to the emperor as an unbreakable vessel for drinking alcoholic beverages. The tsar, who, as you know, was fond of shipbuilding, appreciated the gift, saying that such a glass would not fall to the floor while the ship was rocking, and if it did fall, it would not break.

6. At a later time, a 12-sided glass of tea was depicted in the painting “Morning Still Life” (1918) by the famous Russian artist Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin. This dishware became the progenitor of the Soviet cut glass.

7. The expression “think for three” is directly related to the Soviet cut glass. The fact is that up to the glass rim, a 200-gram glass holds exactly 167 grams of vodka - a third of a half-liter bottle, which allows you to divide its contents “according to your conscience.”

They say that Vera Ignatievna “invented” it together with the artist Kazimir Malevich, the author of the famous “Black Square”. According to another version, the unique form was suggested to her by her husband, who liked to have a drink or two after work. Both are quite possible.

Mukhina’s authorship has not been documented, but this is exactly what her colleagues are talking about. Their arguments are based on the fact that Mukhina, during the break between creating monumental sculptures, paid a lot of attention to glass, collaborated with glass factories, and also it is known for sure that she is the author of the beer mug . The sculptor's relatives insist on the same thing.

However, no less convincing is the version that the developer of the faceted glass was the Soviet mining engineer, later professor of geology Nikolai Slavyanov , who discovered arc welding and proposed methods for electrically sealing castings. Thanks to this man, metallurgy in the Soviet Union reached previously unprecedented heights. And in his leisure hours, he drew a faceted glass with 10, 20 and 30 sides, although he proposed to make it from metal. Sketches of glasses are preserved in his diaries. Probably, Vera Mukhina, who knew the scientist, could have seen them, and then suggested making a “drinking cup” out of glass. The first Soviet granchak rolled off the assembly line of Russia's oldest glass factory in the city of Gus-Khrustalny, Vladimir Region, in 1943. Why were new glasses needed at the height of the war? The Glass Research Institute, which is located next to the mentioned plant, explained that the enterprise did not stop at that time and produced “high-quality” glassware designed for the mass consumer. According to Yuri Guloyan, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Deputy Director for Science of the Research Institute of Glass in Gus-Khrustalny, people have been trying since ancient times to make a vessel for drinking fun drinks from glass that would not break when falling to the ground.

Production of ribbed glasses instead of round ones, it was prepared even before the war, when our engineers invented a dishwasher that could replace human hands only when washing utensils certain forms and dimensions. So, the granchaks were ideally suited to the miracle technology. And as soon as the cut press was installed, it was immediately put into operation. The multifaceted vessel fit into the proletarian hand and turned out to be quite durable due to its “decent” thickness and some peculiarities of glass preparation. The raw materials were cooked at a temperature of 1400-1600 degrees, fired twice and cut using a special technology. Rumor has it that even lead, which is used in crystal compositions, was added to the mixture for strength.

According to legend, the first cut glass made of thick glass was presented to Peter the Great by Vladimir glassmaker Efim Smolin, assuring the Tsar that it would not break. The Emperor, having drunk the intoxicating drink, without hesitation, threw the cup to the ground with the words “Let’s have a glass!” It broke into small fragments. However, the royal wrath did not follow, but popular rumor later interpreted his call differently - “Break glasses.” Allegedly, from then on, the tradition of breaking glassware during the feast began.

In the 17th century, a glass was called a dostan because it was made from planks ground together. It is since then that the rim on top of modern faceted glasses has been preserved - in the past, a ring connecting wooden segments. According to other versions, the word glass is borrowed from the Turkic “tustygan” - bowl or “dastarkhan” - festive table.

It turns out that we can talk endlessly about the glass, but it’s better to go to Nekrasovka and see everything with your own eyes. Absolutely free.

This is not a one-time project - this year is also the anniversary of the purse, come and celebrate, - Galina Pavlovna invites, half-jokingly, half-seriously.

Pour it up!!! *** DRINKING TRADITIONS *** Interesting story

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What's happened "penalty glass"? In the 4th-5th century. BC. The ancient Greek feast becomes a kind of cult. The number of food and drinks was not regulated, but there were rules of etiquette prohibiting being late for a joint feast. Charters have come down to us, which say that so late for important event must pay a fine.

"100 frontline". During the Great Patriotic War, Voroshilov himself allocated them to the soldiers. Back in 1940, when Soviet troops were stuck in the snow near Finland in 40-degree frost, Voroshilov ordered the distribution of 100 grams to boost morale, and also as a warming agent. The official order to extradite the “People's Commissars” was issued on August 22, 1941 by the USSR State Defense Committee.

A toast to health. Even under Ivan the Terrible, it was customary to call various medicinal tinctures and potions vodka. We took such strong alcohol only in medicinal purposes. Now it’s clear why “for health.”

For three persons. In Soviet times, it was customary to give the husband a ruble for lunch. And vodka cost two eighty-seven. If you want to drink, look for a third (hence the famous “will you be the third?”). And there will still be change left for the Druzhba cheese.

Faceted glass. In the 17th century, such glasses were made from boards nailed together, hence the edges... The first cut glass glass was made in 1943 according to the sketches of Vera Mukhina. According to another version, the design of the famous glass belongs to Kazimir Malevich. Such a glass was distinguished by its increased strength - when dropped from a meter height onto a hard surface, the faceted glass remained intact.

There are 20 bottles of vodka in a box. In the pre-Petrine era, the main measure of vodka was a bucket. During the time of Peter I, a bottle appeared in Russia; it was borrowed from France. Since the standard bottle had a volume of 0.6 liters, exactly 20 bottles fit in the bucket. Based on these measures, trade documentation was maintained...

An empty bottle should not be placed on the table. The following legend says about this: this custom was brought by the Cossacks who returned from France after the military campaign of 1812-14. In those days, Parisian waiters did not take into account the number of bottles sold. It is much easier to issue an invoice - recalculate empty bottles, left after the meal on the table. One of the Cossacks realized that they could save money by removing some of the empty containers under the table.

A walkway for the path. For a long time in Rus', wanderers and travelers enjoyed special respect. They didn't like tramps, but they welcomed strangers. For wanderers walked around the world not out of idleness, but out of spiritual need - they went on pilgrimages (pilgrims), to holy places, on related business and trade. There were special prayers before the start of the journey and after its successful completion, and there were also customs that were strictly observed.

The wanderers walked from village to village, from one treasured place to the next, leaning on staves. The staff was both a support in long marches and protection from the beast, from the dashing oncoming. In a word, it was a friend-companion for many occasions.

Wanderers and travelers before a long road, unknown what promised them, threw their knapsack on their backs, took a staff in their hands and stopped for a moment at the gate of their home or home that had sheltered them. Then the glass was brought to the road. Usually the eldest in the family poured it. The first one - the one I was waiting for long road. The slander at the same time was different, but always with wishes of good luck: “So that the road spreads like a white tablecloth”, “So that the dashing misfortune bypasses”, “So that evil spirits do not lead astray”... and others with the same meaning.

Sometimes a glass or ladle was literally placed on a staff, on its upper thickened cut. And they watched carefully: if the glass did not tip over, it was good sign. Those setting off on the road had to drink the glass to the bottom, leaving a few drops, which should be thrown over the shoulder - “wet the path.” After this, the glass was again placed on the staff, but upside down - they say, the job is done.

Stirrup. This is a very old custom, also associated with the beginning of a difficult undertaking - travel, hunting, military campaign. And so it seems: our ancestor-warrior easily jumps into the saddle, adjusts his helmet, chain mail, and sword. The stirrup supports him with the stirrup. And it is at this last minute of farewell that a stirrup glass (bowl, goblet) is brought to him. The beloved wife brings a glass on a tray. And after the glass (cup) is drunk, the warrior gives it to the stirrup.

Buried, Drain the buried glass- Cossack custom, steppe. In the old days, Cossack villages were set up so that there would always be ancient burial mounds next to them, on the main roads. They housed guard posts, towers, and signal fires that were lit in case of danger.

Behind the mounds began the restless steppe, sometimes wild and uninhabited, full of dangers. And it was customary to escort respected guests and relatives “behind the mounds.” And then how fate will deal with them...

This duty - to escort “behind the mounds” - belonged to the young, strong, and daring. And it turned out something like an honorary Cossack escort, when young Cossacks competed in daring, demonstrated dexterity, horses and weapons. The more numerous the escort, the more honor and respect there was for those leaving.

Finally, they stopped where their great-grandfathers had stopped on such occasions. Sometimes the “buried cup” (shtof, goblet) was passed around, sometimes it was poured into camp mugs - for everyone and always for everyone, both those leaving and those seeing them off. They weren’t forced to drink; it was a personal matter.

As a rule, they drank the “barrow” without a snack, because they had just gotten up from the tables, and all their thoughts were already about the road. They drank to the wishes of good luck, were sure to remain silent for a short time so as not to accidentally frighten her off, and then watched for a long time as the horsemen were carried away into the distance along the endless steppe road...

The people called him “Granchak”. He's "big-lipped". He is also “Malinkovsky”. He is “Mukhinsky”. But actually, this is a Soviet glass - multifaceted, like the truth.

It turns out that we owe the expression “as simple as three kopecks” to a cut glass. The number of sides of this honorary inhabitant of railway buffets was different: 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20. At one time they even produced glasses with 17 sides, but it was more difficult to make dishes with an odd number of sides, so they settled on the optimal 16. The price of the product depended directly on the number of faces. The simplest, 10-grain, cost 3 kopecks, the 16-grain cost seven, the “luxury” 20-grain cost as much as 14.

Although the cut glass is a classic symbol of the Soviet era, it can be seen in Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin’s “Morning Still Life” from 1918.

Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin. Morning still life
According to many researchers, faceted glass appeared back in the time of Peter I, and was produced by the glass factory in the city of Gus-Khrustalny. Then the glass was called “granchak” and was a newfangled alternative to Russian wooden mugs. The edges made it durable and prevented it from rolling around on the table. When the new product was presented to the king, he did not believe in the reliability of the glass and heartily slammed it on the floor. The glass broke. But the reformer appreciated the idea and allegedly said: “There will be a glass.” But the boyars didn’t hear enough: “Shatter glasses.” Since then, the tradition of breaking dishes for good luck allegedly began.

Peter I in an English engraving from 1858
Despite their dislike for everything bourgeois, Soviet engineers appreciated the glass, if only “upgrading it.” Its strength was given by the shape and thickness of the glass. The latter was produced at extremely high temperatures - 1400–1600 °C. And besides, they burned him twice. Well, at first they even added lead to glass.

By the way, about the exterior. It is believed that the Soviet sculptor Vera Mukhina, the author of the famous “Worker and Collective Farm Woman” memorial, came up with a unique form for it (hence one of the folk names glass - “Mukhinsky”).
In the 1980s, when the technology for making faceted stones was disrupted (production simply switched to foreign standards), gossip spread about the machinations of enemies who encroached on the shrine. Glasses began not only to break, but to burst and even explode.

A cut glass was not just a piece of utensils - it was a “mandala” of the era, from which many famous aphorisms. Here is at least the expression “to think for three.” The fact is that a standard faceted glass (counting from the rim) held exactly 200 g. A half-liter of vodka did not fit into two glasses, but it would fit neatly into three. Therefore, it was more convenient for the three of us to drink.

The habit of “thinking for three” has entered the world

The Moskovskaya vodka brand appeared back in 1894
By the way, about the rim. The first faceted glasses did not have it, so it was very inconvenient to drink from them: to prevent the contents from spilling, the glass had to be pressed tightly to the lips. When the rim around the edge did appear, the original model of the glass was called “lipped” to distinguish it from the second. But the glass became “Malenkovsky” in those days when the Soviet Minister of Defense Georgy Malenkov promised certain categories of military personnel a ration of 200 g of vodka for lunch (for non-drinkers, the norm was replaced by a similar amount of tobacco or sugar). The decree ordered a long life, but people's memory is immortal.

In Soviet times, vending machines selling carbonated water could often be found on the street or in in public places. In Moscow alone there were 10,000 of them

The first cut glass made of thick glass was presented to Peter the Great by Vladimir glassmaker Efim Smolin, assuring the Tsar that it would not break. The Emperor, having drunk the intoxicating drink, immediately threw the cup to the ground with the words: “Let’s have a glass!” It broke into small fragments. However, the royal anger did not follow, and popular rumor later interpreted his call differently - “Break glasses.” Since then, the tradition of breaking glassware during the feast began.

The origin of the word itself is not clearly determined. In the 17th century, a glass was called a dostan because it was made from planks ground together. It is since then that the rim on top of modern faceted glasses has been preserved - in the past, a ring connecting wooden segments. According to other versions, the word glass is borrowed from the Turkic “tustygan” - bowl or “dastarkhan” - festive table.

It is believed that the design of the faceted glass known to us for the working class was developed by the author of the famous monument at the All-Russian Exhibition Center, Vera Mukhina, in 1943 in besieged Leningrad, where she headed the Art Glass Workshop. There was no thought then about majestic monuments in the besieged city. The master of Soviet monumentalism moved to simple forms. Mukhina’s authorship has not been documented, but this is exactly what her colleagues are talking about. They say that Vera Ignatievna “invented” it together with the artist Kazimir Malevich, the author of the famous “Black Square”. According to another version, the unique form was suggested to her by her husband, who liked to have a drink or two after work. Both are quite possible.

According to another version, the developer of the faceted glass was the Soviet mining engineer, later professor of geology, Nikolai Slavyanov. Thanks to this man, metallurgy in the Soviet Union reached previously unprecedented heights. His diaries contain sketches of glasses with 10, 20 and 30 sides, although he suggested making a glass from metal. Probably, Vera Mukhina, who knew the scientist, could have seen them, and then suggested making a “drinking cup” out of glass.

According to the glass factory museum, Mukhina did not bring anything new to the faceted glass. The release of ribbed glasses instead of round ones was being prepared even before the war, when our engineers invented a dishwasher that could replace human hands only when washing devices of certain shapes and dimensions, and granchak was ideal.

IN mass production It is the Mukhina glass that is launched, and it wins popular love. The vessel with 14 sides fit into the proletarian five and turned out to be quite durable due to the “decent” thickness and some peculiarities of glass preparation. The raw materials were cooked at a temperature of 1400-1600 degrees, fired twice and cut using a special technology.

After the war, glasses began to be churned out at many glass factories in the USSR at a rate of 5-6 hundred million per year, based on a couple of pieces per person. Faceted glasses were in every apartment, in dining rooms, in military units, prisons, hospitals, schools, kindergartens. They accompanied Soviet people on trains, waiting in street soda fountains.

The glasses were different in volume - 250, 200, 100 and 50 grams, and the number of sides varied from 8 to 14. But the classic one is a ten-sided glass with thick walls and a belt on top, with a volume of 250 grams. Many people liked cut glasses, but they began to enjoy special love after the sale of vodka by the glass was banned in tents during Khrushchev’s times, and “chekushki” (250 g) and “bastards” (125 g) disappeared from stores.

As a result, a ritual arose of drinking a half-liter bottle of vodka “for three”, “seven torn” (rubles) and with the search for a “third”, who, after being accepted into the company, was approached with mandatory question: “Isn’t there a glass?”

The glass was ideal for measuring the volume of liquid and bulk products and calculating their mass (if you pour liquid into a glass up to the rim, you get exactly 200 milliliters, with the rim - 250). Faceted was adopted by grandmothers selling seeds and other bulk goods. By the way, the price of the container was affordable - only 3 kopecks. Later, a glass began to cost 7 kopecks.

Faceted glasses were surprisingly durable: the raw materials were boiled at a temperature of 1400-1600 degrees, fired twice and cut using a special technology. Lead, which is used in crystal compositions, was added to the mixture for strength.

The era of the cut glass lasted for decades. And today his popularity is great. Because this subject is multifaceted. In 2003, a kind of record was set in St. Petersburg - a pyramid of two thousand faceted glasses one and a half meters high was built in the Baltic House theater. This achievement was included in the St. Petersburg Book of Records.

Today, glasses continue to be produced only at the glass factory in Gus-Khrustalny, where the first Soviet granchak rolled off the assembly line in 1943. In Moscow now you can buy a plastic cup on every corner, but a classic faceted cup is hard to find in stores. But nevertheless, the shape of the faceted glass itself is very popular, and some of its forms are classic and are served with certain alcoholic drinks.