Novgorod, 1428-1435;
Moscow, first quarter of the 16th c.
Silver
Hammering, engraving, casting, gilding
17x12x5 cm; 35.5x24x5 cm
Kovshi, which were the most popular types of drinking vessels, had been known in Russia from time immemorial. Samples of them dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries are very rare. Kovshi came from Novgorord the Great. The smaller vessel originally was in the possession of Novgorodian Governor Grigory Posakhno, and the large one, of Grand Prince of Moscow, Vasily III, according to inscriptions engraved along the sides of them. Large Kovshi were used for mead drinks.