The cruiser "Aurora," "Agashki," and less than 12 hours of magic: Instagram users helped a St. Petersburg resident find the mug of her dreams.
Social media users helped a collector from St. Petersburg find a rare Soviet mug depicting the cruiser Aurora. The woman had been searching for this piece from the Dulevo Porcelain Factory for many years.
The History of Search and the Magic of the Internet
Bozhena collects bell-shaped mugs from the Dulevo Porcelain Factory, produced during the Soviet era. On her Instagram blog, she shared that she's been collecting mugs for many years—and all this time, one particular mug has eluded her.
Even when I find it, someone else buys it first. This mug is dedicated to the anniversary of the October Revolution. Yes, it might not be the most pleasant occasion, but nevertheless, it depicts things that are very dear to me. Namely, the city of St. Petersburg, the cruiser Aurora, and the Alexander Column.
However, the very next day after publishing her video, Bozhena posted a new one—one about the reality of internet magic, and therefore her dream mug is already on its way. While the "half-liter bell" is en route, she enthusiastically shared more details about her collection.
Collection of Dulevo porcelain and rare specimens
In particular, the first mug in the collection was one painted in the signature style of the Dulevo Agashka factory. Bozhena subsequently collected mugs in all colors: there's an iridescent one—a wedding mug—blue clover, lush pink dahlias, delicate forget-me-nots, and stylish lemons and limes.
This is probably the rarest mug in my collection. It's also the most expensive. It's worth somewhere around 8-9 rubles. Incidentally, it's the only mug I don't drink from.
Consequently, the pink and yellow "Agashki" with gold leaves became the main decoration of her collection.
Subscribers' reactions and the origin of the name "Agashka"
In total, users left around 600 comments under Bozhena's second video. Some shared their unusual collections and porcelain hauls from the Soviet era, while others were inspired to take up a new hobby.
I don't know why, but now I really need these mugs.
Before your videos, I didn't even know about these mugs, but now I really want a couple of them for myself.
The mugs are beautiful. And you are even more beautiful. I was captivated by how harmonious you look.
Interest in the history of the craft also arose. Why is the "Agashka" style called that? One theory suggests it comes from the name of the creator of these "roses," the factory's artist, Agafya Kustareva. Another suggests it comes from the fact that the artisans working at the factory were often from villages where the name Agafya was common, meaning their work was called "Agashka."
