A bit of family history
So, some backstory first: when my parents and I left Russia back in the 70s, we couldn’t take most of our belongings with us. In particular, anything that could, by any stretch of imagination, be qualified as an art object, had to be left behind. Most things ended up being given away to friends or relatives, and we eventually lost track of them because we had othe things on our minds at the time.
Flash forward to a few months ago, when my Uncle Zhenya* passed away at age 98. His son and daughter-in-law (my Uncle Alex and Aunt Natella) found some things in his apartment that they passed on to my mom, who decided that I should have them.
First up, a Kubachi silver tea glass holder and a glass to go with it, c. 1960. I’m informed that the black inlay in the silver is called Niello. We’re not entirely sure where Zhenya got it. It’s the sort of thing people normally got as gifts rather than buy for themselves, but no one can remember any details now.
Next up, a memento from my maternal grandfather. It’s a common custom in Russia, when a baby turns six months old, to give a small silver gift. This is a napkin ring, inscribed “To six-month-old little Joseph, November 1919.”
I love these a lot.
*Technically, he was my first-cousin-twice-removed Zhenya, but that’s just silly. This entry was originally posted at https://marinarusalka.dreamwidth.org/658916.html. You may comment there using OpenID.
Flash forward to a few months ago, when my Uncle Zhenya* passed away at age 98. His son and daughter-in-law (my Uncle Alex and Aunt Natella) found some things in his apartment that they passed on to my mom, who decided that I should have them.
First up, a Kubachi silver tea glass holder and a glass to go with it, c. 1960. I’m informed that the black inlay in the silver is called Niello. We’re not entirely sure where Zhenya got it. It’s the sort of thing people normally got as gifts rather than buy for themselves, but no one can remember any details now.
Next up, a memento from my maternal grandfather. It’s a common custom in Russia, when a baby turns six months old, to give a small silver gift. This is a napkin ring, inscribed “To six-month-old little Joseph, November 1919.”
I love these a lot.
*Technically, he was my first-cousin-twice-removed Zhenya, but that’s just silly. This entry was originally posted at https://marinarusalka.dreamwidth.org/658916.html. You may comment there using OpenID.