Show all images on one page	#001310 Title: St. Isaak's Cathedral Artist: Spiridonov A. Size: 11x9.5x5.5 Size (inches): 4.25x3.75x2.25 Price : $320 SOLD!

This interesting box was painted by talented Fedoskino artist Spiridonov.
St.Isaac's Cathedral shown on this box is a remarkable monument of Russian architecture. Alongside with the Peter and Paul's Cathedral and the Admiralty it became an important architectural landmark in the city outline. The golden dome of St.Isaac's can be seen from any part of the city, and in clear weather - even from the suburbs. The history of the construction began in 1710, when the first wooden church was put up in honor of St.Isaac of Dalmatia; it was on St.Isaac's day, according to the Orthodox calendar, that Peter I was born. The present Cathedral is the fourth erected on the site. In the early 19th century a contest was arranged for the best project of a new cathedral, in which the most well-known architects took part. In 1818 Alexander I approved a project submitted by A.Montferrand, a talented drawer who had just arrived from Paris; however, he had little experience in architecture. By this reason the cathedral was rebuilt and reconstructed several times. It took forty years to build the cathedral and another 16 years to paint the interior walls with icons. The Cathedral, that stands out for its grandeur, was sanctified in 1858 and became the main church in St.Petersburg.
The palette is subtle and allows the artist to fully explore the possibilities of the landscape and the architecture. The sky is filled with an unimaginable amount of tones and gradations of color. These transitions of color are so natural that one might mistake the sky for that of a photograph. The architecture is superbly detailed. The artist has been able to reproduces the magnificent décor of the building that, undoubtedly, shows his skills of a miniature painter. The geometry of the building is exact. Trees and cars are dwarfed in comparison by the grandeur of the cathedral.
The box is made out of paper-mache. Beautiful gold patterns decorate the edges of the lid and the box's sides. The box has a hinge from the top of the composition and rests a flat bottom. Black lacquer covers the exterior and red lacquer covers the interior of the box. The Fedoskino Factory "troika" insignia can be found on the interior of the lid. The box is signed with the artist's name, village and title.