Samovar and scarf. 18.5x19.5 cm

Samovar and Scarf. New Year Still Life

This original oil painting was created in Switzerland during the New Year season. At the centre of the composition stands a Tula samovar that belongs to the family of my husband. The samovar was brought to Switzerland from Turkey and carries a personal family history connected to a military ancestor from the Ottoman army. Preserved across generations, it remains not only a historical object but also a living part of family life.

Over the years, we have used this samovar ourselves in the Swiss Alps, heating water inside it and preparing herbal tea outdoors. Because of this, the object carries two histories at once: an older past connected to family memory and a contemporary life continued within the mountain landscapes of Switzerland.

The samovar itself belongs to a tradition closely associated with Tula, the historic Russian centre of samovar production and metal craftsmanship. For centuries, samovars have served not only as practical objects for boiling water and preparing tea, but also as symbols of hospitality, family gatherings and shared rituals around the table. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Behind the samovar appears my Pavlovo Posad shawl, which I wear here in Switzerland. Its floral ornament becomes part of the composition, transforming the background into a field of colour, pattern and cultural memory. Pavlovo Posad shawls are among the most recognizable traditions of Russian textile craftsmanship and have been produced for more than two centuries. (new.platki.ru)

Mandarins are placed beside the samovar as symbols of the New Year. Across many families of the former Soviet world, mandarins remain strongly associated with winter celebrations, childhood memories and festive gatherings. Their bright orange colour introduces warmth and light into the composition, contrasting with the cooler blue and violet tones surrounding the metal surface of the samovar.

Rather than functioning as a traditional still life arranged around formal objects, the painting brings together personal artifacts carrying different layers of memory, geography and cultural identity. Russia, Turkey and Switzerland meet within a single image. The samovar, the shawl and the mandarins each carry their own history, yet together they form a quiet domestic scene connected by everyday life.

The painting is built through expressive, visible brushwork. Thick layers of oil paint transform reflections, ornament and metal surfaces into vibrant passages of colour. The polished body of the samovar reflects fragments of surrounding light, while the patterned shawl dissolves into rhythmic blue, white and violet brushstrokes behind it.

Created from direct observation, this work records not only objects but also personal memory. It preserves a New Year moment where family history, cultural traditions and present-day life in Switzerland came together around a familiar table.

Original oil painting by Olga Tacan.

Location: Switzerland
Subject: Tula samovar, Pavlovo Posad shawl and mandarins
Themes: Family memory, cultural heritage, New Year traditions
Medium: Oil painting

Oil on carton

Plain air still life painting 

Size 18.5 cm x 19.5 cm

Size with passé-partout 35x35 cm  

Date: 11 November 2024

Location: La Croix sur Lutry, Switzerland