Show all images on one page	#002534 Title: Black hen Artist: Yastrebov Oleg Size: 12x9x2.5 Size (inches): 4.75x3.5x0.75 Price : $495 SOLD!

This alluring piece of genuine Russian artistry was composed by the talented Oleg Yastrebov from the village of Fedoskino. It features the main characters of the fairy-tale "The Black Hen or the Underground Inhabitants" written in 1829 by the Russian writer Anthony Pogorelsky (1787-1836). The writer wrote this tale for his little nephew Alyosha, the future writer Alexei Tolstoi.
This tale starts with a lonely boy Alyosha spending weekends at boarding school while his classmates go home. It's then that he rescues the black hen from the cook's knife. That night, the hen takes him to the underground kingdom of the miniature people. There Alyosha is granted one wish for having saved the life of the black hen. Alyosha asks for the first thing that came into his mind - to be able to memorize his lessons without studying. Soon he becomes the most famous pupil in St. Petersburg. But one day the seed that gave him the magical ability is gone so the boy couldn't recite his lessons anymore. To avoid the punishment from the headmaster, he blurted out the whole story of the underground inhabitants. This classic tale of friendship and betrayal has long been a favorite in Russia, where it has been made into movies, set to music, and produced as an animated film.
To create mysterious atmosphere of the radiant, colorful realm of fantasy Yastrebov has mixed oils with gold paint of various shades. Gold shines through each element of the scene from the big full moon to each plant or stone. The fairy atmosphere is strengthened by multicolored spangles spread throughout the scene.
The box is constructed out of paper-mache. Black lacquer covers the exterior and red lacquer covers the interior of the box. The box has a hinge from the left of the composition, and rests on a flat bottom. The work is signed, titled ("Chernushka" or "Blackey"-Black Hen's nickname), and dated (2006) by O. Yastrebov.