Eight interesting facts about the Soviet cut glass
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. We invite you to get acquainted with interesting facts touching this cut glassware.
1. 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” glassware together with the author of “Black Square” Kazimir Malevich in besieged Leningrad in 1943. 
2. 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 ones, but the release with an odd number of edges is more complicated, 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 is 7 kopecks, and if it is 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. 
3. 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 its thickness and special way glass production.
4. The famous expression “think for three” is associated with the Soviet faceted glass. During Khrushchev’s time, 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 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. 
5. A Moldavian historian names the Soviet cut glass as the reason for drunkenness in Moldova. According to Veaceslav Stavila, until 1944, when Soviet troops liberated Moldova from the fascist occupiers, people in the country drank from small 50-milliliter glasses. Soviet soldiers brought a faceted, capacious glass, resistant to falling and durable. After this, Moldovans began to drink more. 
6. People called the Soviet faceted glass “Malenkovsky”. This is due to the Minister of Defense Georgy Malenkov, by order of whom 200 g of vodka was allocated for lunch for certain categories of military personnel. 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. 
7. 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 the exact manufacturing technology was no longer taken into account. 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”.
8. 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 the railway they still serve tea in Soviet-style cut glasses with a glass holder, which is surprisingly pleasant and cute.
* * *
From the river to the ocean
From blizzard to melancholy
Cut Glass Day
Men celebrated!
VladiMir.
The origin of the faceted glass is not known for certain. A common point of view is that faceted glasses began to be made in Russia during the era of Peter I in the city of Gus-Khrustalny. The faceted glass did not roll off the table if it overturned during the rocking motion of the ship. In any case, we can say with confidence that before the revolution, glasses and shot glasses with edges were already manufactured in Russia. 
The design of the Soviet-style faceted glass is attributed to Vera Ignatievna Mukhina, the author of the monumental composition “Worker and Collective Farm Woman.” However, there is no documentary evidence of this, 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”. In the fall of 1930, Malevich was arrested by the GPU and spent three long months in the famous St. Petersburg prison “Kresty”.
The investigator directly told the artist: “What Cezanism are you talking about? What kind of cubism are you preaching about? We have only one “ism” - Marxism.”
Tea was brought into the cell not in a tin mug, but in round glasses without cup holders. The fragile glass often broke in the powerful hands of the prisoners, who squeezed the glass tightly to keep warm. In the head of Malevich, who always preferred rigid geometric shapes, an idea was immediately born: what if a glass was not made? round shape, and in the form of a polyhedron? Then its rigidity will increase many times over!
After being released from prison, Malevich shared the idea of creating a faceted glass with the sculptor Vera Mukhina. She, through her designer friends, ensured that such a glass was put into production 
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. 
Simple faceted glass appeared much earlier - even in Petrov-Vodkin’s “Morning Still Life” a 12-sided glass of tea is depicted,
and this is 1918. Some sources mention cut glasses from the Urschel glass factory in 1914.
And there is an even earlier mention of a cut glass 
The first cut glass made of thick glass was allegedly 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, there has been a tradition of breaking glassware during the feast. 
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
And Vera Ignatievna became interested in glass in the late 1940s, at which time it was necessary to develop a glass shape for public catering (convenient for use in dishwashers, and at the same time more durable). 
The “Mukhinsky” glass was created taking into account these requirements - a smooth ring running along the circumference of the edge, and distinguishes it from the traditional shape
“simple faceted.” 
The dimensions of a classic faceted glass are 65 mm in diameter and 90 mm in height. The glass had 16 sides (there are also specimens with 17 sides, but 12, 14, 16 and 18 are the most typical number, because, from a technology point of view, it is easier to produce glasses with an even number of sides) and held 200 ml of liquid (to the brim ). At the bottom of the glass, its price was squeezed out (usually 7 or 14 kopecks; “20-sided ones” cost 14 kopecks). 
Characteristics of a standard faceted glass made in the USSR:
Top diameter: 7.2 - 7.3 cm;
Bottom diameter: 5.5cm;
Height: 10.5 cm;
Number of faces: 16, 20 (other values are possible);
Top edge width: 1.4 cm, 2.1 cm (other values are possible);
Glass volume: 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 350 milliliters 
A faceted glass has a number of advantages compared to a regular glass. cylindrical. Thanks to its edges, such a glass is much stronger and can survive a fall onto a concrete floor from a meter in height. 
Therefore, cut glasses are still produced to this day and are used in catering establishments, as well as on passenger trains (usually with a cup holder). 
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 
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 canteens, military units, prisons, hospitals, schools, and kindergartens. They accompanied Soviet people on trains and waited in street soda fountains. 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. But in general, 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. In Moscow now you can buy on every corner a plastic cup, but the classic faceted one is difficult 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.
FACETED GLASSES
The train was coming. We looked out the window together.
We were driving from the south into the fogs.
We were traveling to a region where there was snow everywhere,
From there, where the summer is hot.
The road is long, but no matter how long it is,
It will end somewhere.
Faceted glasses have a heavy bottom,
They stood very firmly
Wine splashed in cut glasses,
We drank it and dreamed.
A faceted glass is a Russian glass,
A glass for love and for friendship.
A cut glass, like a password was given to us,
The only true and necessary one.
The train was coming. It doesn't matter where from where.
Did he go there or from there?
Then we never loved so much,
And so we did not believe in miracles.
And a miracle happened - as it should be,
The conductor brought us glasses,
But you and I drank not tea, but wine,
We were driving from the south into the fogs.
Mikhail Guskov
* * *
Happy birthday today
we are a glass
It has sixteen sides, only there are
one flaw
When heated it is impossible to hold
him in his hands
The only thing that protects you from burns is the cup holder.
on trains...
Since the time of the military with us and on the road
and in everyday life,
In 1943 they were released in Gus Khrustalny
"on the fly",
To make it lasting, we tried,
forgetting about design
So the glass is working, the edges
without distorting...
It is still used in catering today
we have,
Very durable, definitely won't break
him with three times,
Happy birthday of course
we are a glass
And today we’ll pour vodka so that there’s
glass drunk...
Elena Samarina
* * *
Interesting facts about the glass
There is a famous trick with a glass. If you fill a glass with water and then cover it with a piece of thick paper (such as a postcard),
By pressing the paper tightly against the glass, you can then turn it over without the water spilling out
A transparent glass can be used to demonstrate optical phenomena. For example, a spoon partially immersed in a glass of water is perceived as broken.
A Soviet faceted glass, half filled with water, can be placed “on edge”, that is, balanced in a position
when it touches the surface with one edge.
During the Soviet era, a faceted glass was also an indispensable attribute of the vodka drinking process. Since the bottle of vodka held 500 ml, the faceted glass, when drinking “for three,” was filled exactly five-sixths
In modern technologically advanced times, it was invented to help housewives a large number of all kinds of auxiliary equipment for both cleaning and cooking. But, as practice has shown, many housewives cannot do without an ordinary classic cut glass in the kitchen.
History of appearance
There are two versions of the appearance of a faceted glass in history.
According to the first, the authorship belongs to the great sculptor Vera Ignatievna Mukhina, the author of the famous monumental sculpture “Worker and Collective Farm Woman”. She developed it specifically for dishwasher of that time, since a glass of an ordinary shape could not be fixed in it, it fell and broke.
According to the second version, it appeared in the distant times of the reign of Peter I. It was made by the glassmaker of that time, Efim Smolin, for the convenience of sailors in the navy. During the rolling, the shapes rolled off the tables less than the round ones, and after the fall they almost did not break.
"Birthday" glass
Be that as it may, and no matter who is credited with the authorship, the official birthday of the cut glass is September 11, 1943. According to historical data, it was on this day that the first Soviet faceted glass was produced.
It was first officially smelted in oldest city Russia Gus-Khrustalny, its height was 9 cm, diameter 6.5 cm, it had 17 sides, and the volume of the faceted glass was 200 ml. It is he who has since been considered a classic.
Then, when production was put on stream, they were produced with 16, 17 and even 20 faces, and the volume of a faceted glass in ml could range from 150 to 280.
Application area
In addition to standard applications, the faceted glass has received many additional functions. With his help:
Volume to weight ratio
And no matter how far we go modern technologies, often in various recipes You can find such a measure as a cut glass.
Or, conversely, without having scales at hand, you can use it to measure required quantity product. The main thing is that the volume of the faceted glass is standard - 200 ml.
Below are the most popular liquid products:
The measure of measuring in faceted glasses and bulk products did not bypass:
From this we can conclude that everything can be measured with a faceted glass.
Glasses in modern times
Besides normal use- to measure or pour something - glasses have become something more than ordinary kitchen utensils.
It can be given as a gift. Buy a ready-made glass with original inscription, name, drawing or order something of your own. And it will be a great gift.
In honor of the cut glass, various exhibitions and expositions are held, in which all kinds of specimens are collected, from the most modern to the very old and valuable.
There are competitions for the best cup holder. They are then put on public display at exhibitions. Some glasses are so beautiful and original that it is easier to classify them as a work of art rather than as tableware. After all, as you know, there are quite a large number of folk craftsmen who are capable of making a real masterpiece from an ordinary cut glass.
From this we can conclude: a cut glass is not just a dishware, but something historical, creative and still necessary in many kitchens.
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. 
The famous expression “think for three” is associated with the Soviet faceted glass. 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 Stavila, until 1944, when Soviet troops liberated Moldova from the fascist occupiers, people in the country drank from small 50-milliliter glasses. Soviet soldiers 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, by order of whom 200 g of vodka was allocated for lunch for certain categories of military personnel. 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 the exact manufacturing technology was no longer taken into account. 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 of the Soviet era, as a symbol of something social, public, and 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 the railway they still serve tea in Soviet-style cut glasses with a glass holder, which is surprisingly pleasant and cute. 
elderly people, when they pick it up, experience an amazing feeling of nostalgia for the old days. Have you ever wondered who invented the faceted glass and why? Today we will try to shed light on this issue and bring clarity to it.
This item remains incredibly popular in our time. And the point here is not only in the established habit of use, but:
- as a product;
- its versatility;
- oddly enough, a wide range of applications.
Many have observed more than once how their grandmothers or parents use this item for other purposes: they crushed it with hard black pepper, used it as a measuring container. Every housewife knew the volume of a faceted glass. If you pour water into a glass exactly up to the rim, the volume will be 200 ml. If you add water to the very top, it will be exactly 250 ml. Now you know the exact volume of a faceted glass, and you can use it.
Faceted glass: history of creation and facts
It is very difficult to answer the question of who exactly came up with this glass shape and why. Some researchers hypothesize that the unique shape of the glass is the invention of the well-known sculptor Vera Mukhina. Everyone remembers her wonderful sculpture, which symbolizes the USSR - this is “Worker and Collective Farm Woman”. It so happened that in the period from 1943, just during the siege of Leningrad, Vera led an art glass workshop. For this reason, many skeptics consider her to be the author of a unique item. Unfortunately, there are no documents that would confirm its authorship. The faceted glass and its creation history remain a mystery.
Another question that haunts modern historians is when did the cut glass appear? Most are inclined to believe that it was created in 1943, which confirms the assumption that it was Mukhina who made it. When exactly the faceted glass appeared is as much a mystery as its authorship for this invention.
Geology professor Nikolai Slavyanov is the second candidate for the title of inventor of the faceted glass. He was a genius of his age and is known for his many services to his fatherland. Soviet metallurgy owes him a lot, because he made an undeniable contribution to its development. Many historians who carefully studied his diaries found striking images in them, namely, sketches of glasses with various edges. The diaries were preserved in perfect condition, which made it possible to thoroughly study them and draw certain conclusions. But, despite everything, his products had to be made of metal, but not glass.
What makes the question of who created the unique faceted glass even more unclear is the fact that Mukhina and Slavyanov knew each other. For this reason, it is impossible to say with certainty which of them is the author of this work and the true creator. More than half of historians and theorists claim that the idea of creating a faceted glass and developing its design belongs to Slavyanov. Mukhina was responsible for the actual production of the glass. This is the most plausible version, which adequately explains all the inconsistencies in this matter.
Alternative opinions
History points to several more names, the artist Malevich Kazimir and Mukhin. But this is unlikely, since direct facts that would indicate this do not exist today. There is an opinion from employees of the glass museum, they claim that a glass of this original form was created as planned, according to the design of a new dishwasher from pre-war times.
Facts about the cut glass
- Interesting facts: do you know how many sides a classic cut glass has? The answer is simple: 14. Although, there are non-standard specimens, the number of faces of which is 8.
- Another interesting fact: historians do not understand where the word “glass” came from in our Russian language. For example, in the 17th century there were “dostakany” - these are dishes that were made or molded from dense small planks that were tightly connected to each other. Many believe that this is where the name came from.
- The faceted glasses were distinctive in volume and ranged from 50 to 250 g. Depending on this, the number of facets applied varied from 8-14. In the 80s, the production of classic glasses was transferred to foreign equipment. This led to a general disruption of precise production technology. The cut glass was distinguished by its special strength, but now it has lost it. The glass burst on the sides, which caused sincere surprise and indignation among consumers.
Who invented the cut glass remains a mystery of our century. One way or another, today you need to work very hard to find one that is made according to the right technology, according to GOST.
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. Thereby soviet glass for many years he was 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.”
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