In 1764, by decree of Catherine II, in the Penza region, through the efforts of the landowner Bakhmetyev, the Nikolsky glass factory was founded, which was supposed to make glass and crystal dishes. At the plant, a professional educational institution was organized for master glaziers, who were trained using the best examples of glassware from European countries as educational material. It was here that at the beginning of the 19th century a virtuoso of glassmaking, a serf Alexander Vershinin, worked.

Alexander Vershinin’s glasses are one of the most famous and sought-after Russian curiosities in the rest of the world. Unique dishes created in the first half of the 19th century by the hands of a man from the people are in great demand at auctions. Ten years ago, Vershinin glasses were sold for 20-50 thousand dollars apiece. The products are notable for the fact that artistic compositions are made inside the glasses, which at first seem like drawings.

In fact, the pictures in the glass of the glasses are not painted, but laid out by hand from natural materials. Vershinin used grass, moss, straw, wood, stones, paper, sand, fabric and individual threads for his works. The master worked for representatives of the noble families of Russia. Krepostnoy made both glasses with landscapes and compositions dedicated to the Patriotic War of 1812. The master also made sets with family coats of arms of noble families. He also made fortified dishes for the royal family. After Vershinin created glasses for 70 noble families, he was granted a gold watch from the emperor.

To date, 14 glasses with compositions by Alexander Vershinin are stored in museums around the world. Several glasses were broken over two centuries, a significant part was lost. A number of unique crafts are kept in private collections. The high cost of Vershinin’s dishes is explained by the fact that glasses with compositions were created by hand at the Nikolsky glass factory at a time when the development of technology and production did not yet allow mass production of such products. They learned how to make such dishes without any extra costs only in the second half of the 20th century.