(6) Gus Crystal Russian Cordial Glasses. Shield of the city of Moscow in the middle of the double-headed eagle insignia of Russia. 

Condition: Slight rubbing on gold gilt design. 

Size: 1 3/4 x 1 3/4 x 2 1/2 in. 

#3457 #1 . 

Gus Crystal is the oldest surviving manufacturer of Russian crystal, founded in 1756 on the Gus River by a merchant from the Oryol region, Akim Maltsev. The town that sprang up around the factory in the Vladimir Province of the Moscow Governorate is called Gus-Khrustalny (referred to as “Crystal Goose” for this very reason). Initially, the factory produced only simple glasses and tumblers, but in 1830 the founder’s son Ivan established crystal production, aspiring to make it as high of quality as Bohemian crystal but more affordable for the Russian populace. In addition to continually expanding their factory during the age of the Russian Empire they also built St. George Cathedral with the assistance of the architect Leonty Benois and the Romantic artist Viktor Vasnetsov. Today the cathedral houses a crystal museum, which displays thousands of unique pieces produced by the Gus Crystal Factory. After the October Revolution of 1917 and the resulting devastation the factory closed, but production resumed in 1923 after a visit to the town by Bolshevik head of state Mikhail Kalinin, who found the crystal and glass particularly appealing and allocated special funding to fix the equipment. During the Soviet era, the factory became known for producing millions of faceted glasses presumably designed by Vera Mukhina. The factory became a haven for artists seeking to express themselves, as the “decadence” of the art glasses they made was overlooked because of their appreciation by other countries. In the 1990s the factory was privatized, and there were accusations of mafia activity focusing on immediate profit rather than quality and improving the products. In 2000 this led to the company controlling the main factory to declare bankruptcy, although several smaller workshops, each focused on a different aspect of glass production, kept the business functioning. In 2012 the factory was closed and gutted, with the last hundred employees laid off. The following year crystal production resumed, with the factory renamed Gusevsky Crystal Factory After Akim Maltsev. They continue to make crystal art pieces for custom orders, but no longer mass produce faceted or drinking glasses.

Slight rubbing on gold gilt design.