Samovar is a metal vessel for boiling water and making tea. Initially, water was heated by an internal furnace, which is a tube filled with coals. Later other types of samovars appeared - kerosene, electric, etc. In the second half of the 20th century they were almost universally replaced by electricity, finally giving birth to the modern electric kettle. 

The most ancient 3700 year old samovar was found in Azerbaijan and it is even older than the one found in Egypt, which itself is more than 2000 years old. In Russia Samovars are considered a national symbol. There is a legend that the samovars were first brought to the country from Holland by Peter the Great, but in reality they appeared about 50 years after the death of Peter. 

Although samovars were originally made in the Urals, Tula is considered to be their homeland (there is even a popular saying "do not go to Tula with your own samovar”). In 1850 in Tula there were twenty eight samovar factories, which produced about one hundred twenty thousand samovars per year and many other copper products. 

Nowadays Samovars are highly prized by collectors, who classify them by quality, age, shape, size and the makers that produced them.  This particular model is one of the most sought after in existence, made in the very special Russian “Modern” style, it is called “The Missile” or “The Spider” because of its unusual shape. It was made by the famous Vorontsov factory in Tula in the late 19th century, which was one of the most prestigious at the time, known for its production destined for the nobility and even the Tsar’s table.