Russian Samovar Brass Plated Set Tea Urn Set This is a brass plated Russian samovar set that comes with SIX pieces, the big water heating device, tray, bowl, teapot, footed teapot rest, and accessory. This is in good condition, one of the wooden knobs looks like it was replaced with a new one on top. This item has not been tested but there does not seem to be any major damage to any piece of the set. This was made and came from Russia with Russian writing on it. It was made in Tula Russia. The Russian writing on the front translates to "Factory- Heirs of Igor Ivanovich" also with Russian Tsar Stamps. This is an old maybe early 1900s Samovar. Height of main water piece: 18.5in tall, Tray it sits on is 17in long Weight of everything together: 13lbs Information on Russian Samovar: Samovars and tea-drinking are an indispensable element of Russian culture. The word samovar in Russian is derived from "Ñам" meaning self and "варить" meaning to boil. The name can be loosely translated into English as "self-boiler". Samovars are made from metal and consist of a large urn-shaped container and a metal pipe running vertically through the middle. To boil the water inside a samovar, the pipe is filled with solid fuel such as pine cones, charcoals and wood chips which are set on fire. A small tea pot is used to brew a tea concentrate. The tea pot is often placed on top of a samovar to keep it heated with the passing hot air. The tea is served by pouring tea concentrate into a cup and diluting it with boiled water. The water is released through a faucet at the base of the metal container. Samovars were one of the earliest home appliances in Russia. Families and guests would sit at a large dinner table to have a leisurely talk and discuss the latest events while drinking hot tea. (info from http://masterrussian.com/)