Show all images on one page	#001829 Title: Tale of the Golden Egg(The Hen Ryaba) Artist: Fadeeva R. Size: 8x7x4.5 Size (inches): 3x2.75x1.75 Price : $185 SOLD!

This traditional Fedoskino box features a scene from the Russian folk fairy-tale for little children called "Piebald Hen", or, "Kurochka Ryaba" in Russian. This tale is very short; its plot is very simple, but original:

Once upon a time there lived an old man with his wife. They had a hen named Ryaba. One day the hen laid an egg. It wasn't an ordinary egg, it was a golden egg!
The old man tried to break the egg but didn't manage to do it.
The old woman tried to break the egg but also didn't manage to do it.
The mouse that was running by, touched the egg with its tail. The egg fall and broke.
The old man began crying.
The old woman began crying.
And the hen cackled:
"Don't cry, the old man! Don't cry, the old woman! I will lay you an egg. But it won't be a golden egg, it will be an ordinary egg!"

The scene is painted in rather subdued tones against the black background. The costumes of the characters (the old woman's apron and kerchief; the old man's vest), as well as the samovar and the hen's breast) are painted over metallic leaf, which really lights up the drawing. Aluminum powder is used to paint the floor, and to create the light around the golden egg.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the box while red lacquer completes the interior of the work. The edges of the lid, and the box's sides are decorated with elegant gold patterns. The box has a hinge from the top of the composition, and rests on a flat bottom. The Fedoskino "troika" insignia can be found on the interior of the lid. The box isn't signed.