Show all images on one page	#008669 Title: Tale of Magic Fish (or By the Pike's Will) Artist: Kritova Galina Size: 33x14.5x12 Size (inches): 13x5.75x4.75 Price : $1150 SOLD!

This large box was painted by a well-known Palekh artist, Galina Kritova. It shows several key episodes from the popular Russian fairy-tale "By the Pike's Will" or "Emelya and the Magic Pike".
The box is consist of three large compartments that opens from the top and one drawer on the front side.
In short, this tale is about a young man 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.
The scenes depicted on the box shows key episodes from this tale: Emelya catches Magic Pike(the right one). On the left one we can see how Emelya is coming back from the forest, the sledge is moving with the wood chops with no horse! And in the middle one we can see how Emelya came to the Tsar's Palace riding the stove and charmimg Tsar's daughter by his play on balalayka.
Egg-tempera paint is the main medium used to paint this composition. The palette is based in blues and reds that make complementary combinations throughout the scene. Gold and silver are used to highlight and detail of the composition, but its sparkle naturally enhances the great depth and epic mood set by the theme!
The box is made out of paper-mache and pressed paper. The interior of the box is red, while the exterior is covered with back lacquer. The three lids are hinged, and the box rests on four legs. Golden ornaments frames the compositions on the three lids. The sides of the box are richly decorated with ornamentation painted in gold and silver paints. Upon completing the work on this piece the artist writes Palekh, 2018, and signs her name in the bottom of the middle lid.