The word ‘pre-winter’ is actively used in the forecasters' lexicon. Pre-winter is the time in nature when the golden autumn is over, trees and bushes have lost their leaves and are ready for snow, but it still does not fall, i.e. winter has not come yet; autumn continues, however it is already rather cold and the puddles in the morning are covered with a thin crust of ice. Autumn is slowly slipping away and winter has not yet finally taken over, and one can feel that borderline. These are the days when the two seasons meet.

Pre-winter begins in mid-October, usually from 15 to 25 October, and ends around 15 to 20 December, after which the winter season begins. There is something crisp and peaceful about this time. There are no bright colors of autumn, fewer sounds of nature; no noise of leaves, chirping of birds, the ceaseless shrill of the cicadas. Nature is gradually falling asleep, preparing for winter. Brown and grey tones have a calming effect on people, it's time to slow down, look around and start leisurely summing up the results of the past year.... Pre-winter is considered to be the time when it is necessary to finalize the plans and projects planned for the year.

According to November omens it is possible to predict partially, what will be the forthcoming winter and the future harvest, as these omens are interconnected and obey certain laws, the key to which, perhaps, will give the study and comparison of folk omens with scientific observations.

People have long believed in omens associated with certain events. Each new day warned of changes: it prophesied a rich harvest, a soon marriage or a cold winter.

The temperature outside more and more confidently tends towards sub-zero signs. By the end of November, the European part of Russia is covered with a snow blanket. Nature finally freezes in anticipation of winter frosts and goes to sleep until spring.

This visible line between late autumn and winter is perfectly demonstrated by the exhibit presented in the section ‘Western European Glass Art and Ceramics’ of the museum Collection repository.

Cup with lid and saucer, created in the 1870-1880s by Emile Galle, who was a French painter, draughtsman and artist, glassmaker and ceramist, innovator, industrial engineer and entrepreneur, designer of furniture and interior, botanist and horticulturist, symbolist poet and art theorist.

Cup with lid and saucer. Gallé Émile manufactory. France, Nancy. 1870-1880
Hand painted faience cup with lid and saucer. The image of winter river landscape with a house is on one side of the cup and the image of wild flowers and spikes is on the other one. The lid grip is made in the form of a tree branch with leaves and pear fruit, the cup grip is in the shape of a tree branch. The saucer is with two compartments, one of which rests on two feet and is decorated with the image of the similar riverscape with small house, but from a different angle, the faceplate for the cup is decorated with the image of wild flowers.