A fine and rare double-walled glass beaker with cover, Alexander Vershinin, Bakhmetev Glassworks, Nikolskoe, 1795-1822

the faceted cylindrical body with panoramic and densely populated pastoral landscape encompassing: two log houses on an island, small arched bridge, a fishing boat, a sail boat, several figural groups, and a variety of livestock swimming in the river and grazing on the pasture, skilfully created using watercolour on paper, mosses, grasses and other vegetation, the exterior with gilt foliate and geometric borders, the slightly domed lid with similar border and shaped knop finial

It is extremely rare to find a double-walled beaker of such high quality at auction; approximately only ten of this type are known to exist.  Traditionally they have been attributed to one maker, Alexander Petrovich Vershinin, a serf artisan at the Bakhmetev Glassworks in Penza.  From 1795 to 1822 he was the chief workmaster, responsible for painting as well as designing the ornaments and forms. He became particularly famous for the small number of double-walled tumblers skilfully decorated with panoramic autumnal landscapes. Typically depicted from a low view point, they were created using watercolour on paper and organic matter.  One of the tumblers, formerly in the collection of the Bakhmetev Factory Museum, was signed by Alexander Vershinin, and as a result all works of this kind began to be attributed to him.  It is still not entirely clear whether Vershinin was the only maker of these curious glass creations.   Taking over one year to create, they were not considered commercially viable and so production ceased after Vershinin's death.

The offered lot glass exhibits a level of intricacy consistent with other examples attributed to Vershinin, and the ornament is found in similar combinations or as separate elements in others.  The gilded border of stylised oak leaves and acorns on the top, and the diamond shaped geometric border on the bottom, are replicated exactly on tumblers in the Hillwood, Kuskovo and Corning Museums.  Clusters of flowers, similar to the roses found at the bottom of this piece are typical, and the landscapes often feature the Bakhmetev Factory Mill on the riverside.  However it is very unusual to find an example with the original lid.