The Samovar
Inspired by Matisse
©kMadisonMooreFineArtInc.2013
Painting with The Masters
11 x 14 Interior Oil Painting on canvas
Sold
One of my collectors purchased a painting I
did inspired by Matisse that had this unusual
element in it. I have seen Matisse use it in many
of his paintings and even though I didn't know
what is was I still used it as I liked the shape.
I assumed it was some kind
of heater and he obviously liked them.
My collector took the time to research it for me
when I told him what I thought it was but wasn't sure.
I wasn't too far off. It is used to make tea and is called
a Samovar.
Matisse being a French artist and this being mostly
Russian must have had a special reason for using it
so many times in his paintings. I wonder what that
was?
In this painting I did my take on one of Matisse's
ladies, his window and the painting on the wall
in the reflection of the mirror. Love doing this kind
of work with mirrors and reflecting what is on the
other side of the room. Fun!
Enjoy
The Samovar
A traditional samovar consists of a large metal container with a faucet near the bottom and a metal pipe running vertically through the middle. The pipe is filled with solid fuel which is ignited to heat the water in the surrounding container. A small (6 to 8 inches) smoke stack is put on the top to ensure draft . After the water boils and the fire is extinguished, the smoke-stack can be removed and a teapot placed on top to be heated by the rising hot air. The teapot is used to brew a strong concentrate of tea known as заварка. The tea is served by diluting this concentrate with boiled water from the main container, usually at a ratio of about 10 parts water to one part tea concentrate, although tastes vary.
The samovar was an important attribute of a Russian household and particularly well-suited to tea-drinking in a communal setting over a protracted time period. The Russian expression "to have a sit by the samovar" means to have a leisurely talk while drinking tea from a samovar.
In everyday use samovars were an economical permanent source of hot water in older times. Various slow-burning items could be used for fuel, such as charcoal or dry pinecones. When not in use, the fire in the samovar pipe faintly smoldered. As needed it could be quickly rekindled with the help of bellows. Although a Russian jackboot (сапог) could be used for this purpose, bellows were manufactured specifically for use on samovars
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