In the 17th and 18th centuries pewter was highly valued as a material for vessels and utensils. It was used for everything that was not heated to high temperatures but was placed on the table. For Russia pewter was an imported material; the first items made of tin produced in the country appeared only in the 1720s. On display in the kitchen are some highly unusual items of pewter. They include a Russian chetvertina drinking vessel bearing a depiction of St George. The cast screw-threaded lid with a handle in the form of linked snakes’ heads bears the mark PICV and the initials AR. This was intended as a container for drinks while travelling. The December plate was produced in Germany in 1664. Its bottom and rim bear medallions containing scenes of the slaughter of animals and processing of the meat — the main household chore for that time of year. A dish made in Nuremberg by Michael Christoph Wadel in 1724 is decorated with burin-engraved ornament. On the bottom a musketeer is depicted against a background of flowers set in an oval of stylized leaves.