Show all images on one page	#009403 Sale! Title: Tale of Emelya and the magic Pike Artist: Kuzmenko Galina Size: 10x8x7.5 Size (inches): 4x3.25x3 Price: $375 $345

This small and detailed five-sided casket was painted by a talented Palekh artist Galina Kuzmenko. Each side and the lid are showing different scenes from the popular Russian fairy-tale "By the Pike's Will" or "Emelya and the magic Pike".
In short, this tale is about a young lad who has catch a special fish when he goes to get water from the river. In return for releasing her, the Magic Pike offers to fulfill Emelia's wishes. Being a lazy fellow, Emelya light-heartedly uses magic forces, asking the pike to help him to perform his chores while he relaxes. He orders his water-pails to go home by itself, which they do, much to the surprise of his sisters-in-law. Then he orders the sledge to go by itself to the nearest forest where his ax falls wood for the fire. Afterwards he gets to the tsar's palace, riding a stove. In the palace he meets the tsar's daughter and falls in love with her. The tale ends happily and Emelya marries the tsar's daughter.
On this casket we can see recognizible moments of a tale: the stove is rushing without horses and bringing Emelya to the Tsar's Palace(on a lid); Emely is catching the magic Pike with the buckles, Mom and siter are shaming Emelya and sending him to get the water, cut the fire wood and etc. The villagers are falling down looking at the sleigh that goes by itself without a horse. One more scene is showing how an axe cutting the fire wood with Emelya's assistance.
The work is a good example of intricate Palekh art. The greys and blues become electric, the reds and oranges passionate. Hair thin gold and silver accents have been used extensively throughout all five compositions adding rich luminescence and delicacy to the casket.
The box's exterior is decorated with a golden dot ornament. The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while red lacquer completes the interior of the work. The lid is hinged, and the box rests on two platforms.
The artist wrote her name and the village name of Palekh along the bottom of the composition on a lid in gold paint.