Shtof

Shtof is a decorative vessel, usually made of glass, porcelain, or silver, intended for storing and serving alcoholic beverages—most often vodka or liqueurs. Shtofs appeared in Russia in the 18th century, and their decoration quickly became a subject of competition among craftsmen: faceted, figured, with screw-on stoppers. Ancient porcelain shtofs amaze the imagination with a variety of shapes: in the form of a bear, a fish, or a booth.

Works by the Gardner factories and the Imperial Porcelain Factory are especially valued. A drink from a shtof could become an ornament of a formal dinner or a social lunch. Collectors value rare pieces with monograms, coats of arms, or with funny shapes from anecdotes of the tsarist era. Shtof is a small sculpture for serving drinks, which invariably attracts attention at auctions.