Pancake dish "Russian oven"

The pancake maker is made in the form of a vase on a leg, at the base of which the sculptor placed a Russian stove in a peasant hut (the term “hut” itself is historically associated with the verb “to heat"). The stove is the most significant element of a village dwelling. It was used both for heating, cooking for people and animals, and for ventilation of the room. They slept on the stove, stored things, dried grain, onions, garlic. In winter, poultry and young animals were kept under guard. They steamed in the furnaces. Moreover, it was believed that the steam and air of the furnace are healthier and more healing than the air of the bath. The location of the furnace in the hut was strictly regulated. It was usually located near the entrance, to the right or left of the doors. There are many ideas, beliefs and rituals associated with the stove. In the traditional mind, the stove was an integral part of the home; if the house did not have a stove, it was considered uninhabited. The stove was the second most important “center of holiness” in the house – after the red, God's corner.

The hostess of the house stands in the stove corner and holds ready-made pies. The stove corner is an exclusively female space in the hut. Men even of their own family could not enter the women's half without special need. The appearance of an outsider man there was considered unacceptable. A cat is perched on a stool next to the woman, and behind her is a samovar ready for tea. The opposite corner of the composition is occupied by the head of the family, sitting on a barrel and playing the balalaika after a hard day's work in the field.

A crystal dish with sides for twenty-centimeter pancakes is screwed to a leg stylized as a chimney. Pancake is a symbol of the Sun in the Russian tradition, so the twisting element bears the solar symbolism. It was believed that if you bake the most pancakes on Shrovetide, then happiness will settle in the house. Pancakes, which were baked at Christmas, symbolized a rich harvest next year. Pancakes, which were called “rags of the gods”, were baked for Ascension. Pancakes were baked from the flour of the new harvest and always with poppy seeds, nuts and apples. The pancakes, which were baked on the Cover, were supposed to “bake” all corners from the winter cold and winds. Pancakes were baked in large quantities for the wedding.