Decorative Ashtray “Rebus”

Russian Empire. M. S. Kuznetsov Partnership Factory. 

The ashtray is rectangular in shape and designed to resemble a folded newspaper. The ground is white. The centre is decorated with a transfer-printed rebus in green. The reverse bears the solution to the rebus in the form of an inscription in pre-revolutionary Russian orthography: “Борда съ ворота, а умъ съ калитку”. The colour of the transfer print is green.

The form of the object is simple and functional, while the decorative emphasis is placed on the printed image. The central composition takes the form of a rebus executed in green. Above it is the inscription “Ребусъ” in pre-revolutionary orthography. On the left is a partially visible male face with a thick beard. Next to it are wooden gates. The composition also includes the letters “С”, “А”, “С”, and “У”, as well as apostrophes and other conventional signs characteristic of rebuses. At the centre is a tent-shaped structure, while another gate is depicted on the right. Together, these elements form a verbal puzzle intended to be solved by the owner of the ashtray.

Objects of this type belonged to the popular category of souvenir and recreational wares produced in the late 19^th century, combining a practical household function with elements of an intellectual game.

The M. S. Kuznetsov Partnership for the Manufacture of Porcelain and Faience Products was a major industrial enterprise that, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, supplied a significant share of the porcelain and faience market in the Russian Empire. Founded by Matvii Sidorovych Kuznetsov in 1887, the partnership brought together a number of existing factories and plants and developed into one of the largest enterprises in the industry.

A distinctive feature of Kuznetsov production was the specialisation of individual factories. The partnership included enterprises in Riga, Dulevo, Verbilki, where the former Gardner factory operated, Budy, Sloviansk, Pesochnoye, Volkhov, and other centres. Some specialised in high-quality porcelain, while others produced faience, majolica, or sanitary ware.

The range of products was exceptionally broad and included tableware and tea services, plates, cups, ashtrays, figurines, majolica decorations, stove tiles, vases, as well as insulators for telegraph and telephone lines and sanitary products. The enterprise catered both to affluent customers and to the mass market.

Provenance: Donated to the museum by V. O. Mokliak in 2023.