The Pancake Week (Maslenitsa) is one of the most colourful and cheerful East Slavic holidays, which dates back to the pagan era, symbolising the farewell to winter and the welcoming of spring. Pancake Week in Russia was always met with fun, games and pancakes, which symbolised the round and ruddy sun. People believed that hot and tasty pancakes would help to placate the sun, which would warm the earth and give a rich harvest. It was believed that the more pancakes a hostess bakes, the more varied and abundant the table on Maslenitsa, the richer and happier the coming year would be.

Maslenitsa is celebrated during the whole week before Lent. The seventh day of Maslenitsa, Sunday, is called the Shrove Sunday Christians. Many traditions are associated with this special day. On this day the faithful ask forgiveness from each other, thus cleansing their souls.

In ancient times, it was customary to see off winter in a noisy and merry way. The holiday was celebrated with mass festivities and fun: noisy games, round dances and songs; some people went sledging down a hill; others played tag and threw snowballs. At the end of the day people burned a Pancake Scarecrow made of straw and unnecessary rags. It was done by a large crowd in one of the main squares of the village or town. In Old Russian tradition, the burning of Maslenitsa in effigy symbolises the farewell of winter, renewal, the beginning of spring.

Today, on the last day of the Pancake Week, our traditional column "Exhibit in details" features silver bowl with the hinged lid in the form of three folded napkins, made by Nickols and Plinke firm¹⁾ in 1846. The bowl is realized in the "Russian style" in the form of three folded linen napkins on round plate with ornately shaped rim.  The top square napkin with the hinged lid serves as a container for pancakes (or truffles). Pancake (truffles) were supposed to be served hot, so there was a special inset inside the bowl to keep hot water between the walls and the tab at the right temperature.
Two similar dishes are stored in the collection of the State Hermitage. The first was made by Ivan Sazikov firm in 1849, and the second one – in 1850. It was named “the pancake plate” and made by the London “Hunt & Roskell” firm (26x26). The same plate, from the service of Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailova, is stored in the State Historical Museum.

The catalogue description of the English-made platter noted, “the sample of a platter "with a napkin" was probably the first to be made by the firm of Ivan Sazikov... This idea was also developed by other enterprises, and the exact purpose of such plates is not defined, so they are called differently: a plate for truffles, a box for chestnuts” ²⁾. The fact that the model was repeated by different craftsmen. The fact that the model was repeated by various craftsmen bespeaks of its demand and popularity among customers. In addition, in 1849, a similar dish was exhibited at the All-Russian Art Exhibition.

¹⁾ Nickols and Plinke firm (1829 – 1898) was one of the most famous St. Petersburg silverware firms. The owners of the firm, William Nickols and Konstantin Plinke, were natives of England. The firm "Niсkols and Plinke" was in fact a monopoly on the supply of highly artistic silverware for the imperial court. Art products made by the firm are presented in the museum Collection section "Russian Metal Artworks".