“Kalgan,” a Cossack family bowl

Russians: Cossacks: Don river Cossacks

European Russia, Don Cossack Region, Ust-Medveditsa Okrug, Cossack village Glazunovskaya

19th century

Wood: Poplar

depth 9.5; diameter 38.0

РЭМ 1040-56

In their everyday life, the Cossacks widely used wooden utensils, which had valuable properties: they were waterproof, strong, and served for several years, that’s why they were used both in poor and well-to-do families. It was made manually, with the aid of a knife and a chisel. The articles, although somewhat bulky, were as low-weight as possible, stable, and easy to use and store.