“Golden Ruby” in Chișinău, in the 20s of the 19th century

Abstract

The purpose of this work is the history of the creation of the unique “golden ruby”, ruby glass colored with gold nanoparticles in various shades of pink, red, crimson and purple, the recipe of which was kept in the strictest confidence for centuries. The oldest piece of ruby glass is considered to be the Lycurgus Cup, located in the British Museum, presumably created in the 4th century AD, associated with the Alexandrian culture. It is surprising that in the early 1820s of the 19th century in Chișinău it was possible to purchase objects made from this precious glass. It is known that A.S. Pushkin in 1822, bought a ruby glass travel set at the Ilyinsky Bazaar, consisting of a tray, a decanter and four glasses, and treasured it as a memory of Chișinău. In 1828, Alexander Sergeevich presented this set to his older sister Olga on her wedding day, filling the decanter with his favorite Moldavian Madeira wine, diluted with water, as the Greeks did. The set was miraculously partially preserved and is now located in St. Petersburg, in the poet’s last Apartment-Museum on Moika Embankment, 12. In memory of the poet in the exhibition of the A.S. House Museum А.S. Pushkin in Chișinău presented a set of ruby glass, but for spices, consisting of four items: a salt shaker, a pepper shaker, a vinegar shaker, dating back to the beginning of the 19th century, which is of historical and literary value.

Keywords

• ruby glass
• history of the creation of “golden glass”
• exhibits from the collections of the a.s. house museum pushkin