Podstakannik

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Glass Holder.

Glass of tea in a glass holder. Design commemorates Soviet space exploration

The podstakannik (Russian: подстаканник), or tea glass holder (literally "thing under the glass"), is a holder most commonly made of metal with a handle. The primary purpose of podstakannik is to be able to hold the very hot glass of tea, which is usually consumed right after it is brewed.

Expensive podstakanniks were made from silver for the richest and the elite, however they were not very practical since they would get hot very fast (see: specific heat capacity). In Soviet Union the podstakannik were made mostly from cupronickel, nickel silver and other alloys. Majority of podstakanniks featured government propaganda or generally themed patriotically as with most of the Soviet art. Themed series included architecture, famous people, famous dates in history, cities of USSR etc.