18 - A novelty Russian silver vodka set.

A novelty Russian silver vodka set. Pyotr Baskakov, Moscow, 1899-1908. The set comprising a silver bottle engraved with a facsimile trade label for Kazennoye Vino(State Wine)and six shot cups with gilded interiors, the bottle 22.3cm high, the cups 4.9cm high, assay master Ivan Lebedkin, all with matte finish, together with a circular Russian silver tray by Nikolai Tarabrov, Moscow, 1899-1908, of plain form with a matte finish, 22.2cm wide, total weight approx. 24.3ozt (8) Provenance: (By repute) Formerly the property of the late Marguerite Littman and Mark Littman QC. Gifted to the vendor following Marguerite's death in 2020. Footnote: In a bid to tackle the problem of heavy drinking in 19th century Russia, in 1894 the Russian Empire introduced a total state monopoly on the production and sale of spirits under the direction of Finance Minister Sergei Witte and Tsar Alexander III. The theory was that if the state became the sole purchaser and seller of all spirits produced for the internal market, it could regulate the quality of vodka, as well as limit sales so that people would learn to drink in a regular but moderate fashion. Witte insisted that the monopoly was an attempt to reform the drinking habits of people and not to increase revenue! The result, however, was that the sale of vodka became the single greatest source of state revenue and one of the country's largest industries: by 1914, vodka revenue comprised one-third of the state's income.In 19th century Russia, vodka was often called 'bread wine'; hence the name 'kazennoye vino', on this bottle, which translates as 'state wine' .