Learn Russian: Сам мастер хотел выдуть вазу, великолепие которой удивляет. - The master himself wanted to blow a vase, the magnificence of which surprises.

Сам мастер хотел выдуть вазу, великолепие которой удивляет.

The master himself wanted to blow a vase, the magnificence of which surprises.

Breakdown of Сам мастер хотел выдуть вазу, великолепие которой удивляет.

which / who / that (relative pronoun)

мастер

the stylist / master / craftsperson

Questions & Answers about Сам мастер хотел выдуть вазу, великолепие которой удивляет.

Why is которой placed after великолепие, and why is it in this specific case?

Которой is in the genitive case because it means 'of which', referring back to the feminine noun вазу. In Russian relative clauses, when expressing 'of which' for an inanimate object, the relative pronoun usually follows the noun it possesses. That is why we say великолепие которой instead of которой великолепие.

Why do we use Сам here instead of Самый?

Сам means 'himself' and is an emphatic pronoun stressing that the master intended to do it personally, rather than delegating it. Самый is used for superlatives (like 'the most') or to emphasize exactness (like 'the very same'), which doesn't fit the meaning of 'the master himself'.

Is выдуть a special verb for glassblowing, or just a general word for blowing?

While дуть is the standard imperfective verb for 'to blow', выдуть (perfective) literally means 'to blow out'. In Russian, this is indeed the specific and standard verb used for glassblowing, as you are blowing the glass out into a shape.

Why is удивляет in the present tense while the main clause is in the past tense (хотел)?