A FLASK AND TWO GLASSES, DECORATIVE

SET BE VERA MUKHINA

A gift to Joseph Stalin for his 60th birthday

from the staff of “Krasny Gigant” (Red Giant) factory, 1939

An exquisite glass flask with cork and two unique glasses.

The set was designed by acclaimed sculptor Vera Mukhina, USSR's

national artist and winner of three Stalin awards by that time.

The flask and two glasses hold a special value as an item

of indoor sculpture, made as per the sketches of the well-

known Soviet sculptor; the author of the iconic “Worker

and Kolkhoz Woman” monument.

Vera Ignatievna Mukhina decorated the transparent

vodka (wine) flask with a stylish monogram: the initials

of the man of the moment: “JS” (Joseph Stalin). The faceted

and jagged edges of the flask earmark the clarity and

transparency of thelines; not only do the deep cuts of the,

glasses allow the light to pass, but they also reflect it.

Wild flower compositions decorated the surfaces of all of the

three items.

Ryumkin. Agricultural exhibition. Sculpture by Vera

Mukhina. Worker and Kolkhoz Woman, 1939

This item is one of the last

applied works by one of

the most important Soviet artists.

It combines the classical

traditionsof glasswork and the

novel touch of the great master.

reference

Vera Igantievna Mukhina held exclusive acclaim of the authorities: she won five Stalin prizes,

the highest award in the Soviet Union! She received her first award for her best-known work,

the “Worker and Kolkhoz Woman” sculpture. Her fifth award was for one of her last major

works, a monument to Maksim Gorky, which stands near Moscow's Belarus Railway station.

Many people do not even know that Vera Mukhina loved to work with glass. She found

refuge in glasswork, during the periods of lull, when there were no major or monumental

orders at hand.

Vera Ignatievna made her first glass item in 1937, working at the “Krasny Gigant”

(Red Giant)factory in Penza region. This was a tea set, which she made for official

receptions and called it the "Kremlin" set. According to the author,the transparency

and inner glow of glass gave these forms a very new existence. Each glassware by the

main Soviet sculptor is a valued piece in the golden collection of applied art of the time.