Show all images on one page	#004828 Title: The Twelve Months Artist: Kosheleva Irina Anatolievna Size: 10.5x14x4.5 Size (inches): 4x5.5x1.75 Price : $375 SOLD!

This charming oval box was painted by Fedoskino artist Irina Kosheleva, who is famous for depicting scenes with animals, especially cats. The composition depicts the fairy tale "The Twelve Months". The girl portrayed on this box has been sent into the forest to fill her basket, in the middle of winter, with flowers called Snowdrops for her evil stepmother. However, Snowdrops do not grow during the wintertime. Fortunately she comes upon twelve men who are actually each of the twelve months. They see her and ask what she is doing in the cold winter night. The girl tells them about her difficult situation. To help her the months change the seasons so she can fill her basket to overflowing with snowdrops. In this scene, the Month of March appears before the girl and allows her to pick snowdrops. The girl looks at the flowers in amazement, she can't believe her eyes- the glade is covered with blue blossoms of snowdrops in the middle of January!
The composition is painted against the blue background. Much attention is paid here to the depiction of a beautiful forest landscape, showing the sudden change of climate. Snow covered firs and twigs of trees, snowdrifts, lifeless, dry plants, bullfinches with their red breasts, symbolizing the wintertime coexist here with a luxuriant green tree located in the background, fresh grass, blue blossoms of snowdrops and white blossoms of a wild apple tree, symbolizing the spring. The dry plants are painted with the application of gold foil, which illuminates the composition with a bright golden glow and keeps it from being monotonous. The artist extends the landscape and continues to paint green twigs of the tree, gold leaves and blossoms of the dry plants and white blossoms of the wild apple tree on the sides of the box. The characters are also well drawn, with attractive faces and nicely detailed costumes. The costume of the Month of March and his boots are adorned with gold patterns; the tip of his scepter is also gold.
The box is constructed from paper-mache made. The sides of the box are covered with blue paint that smoothly grade into the black tones of the base, while the interior is traditionally red. The base of the box also includes the inscription "Made in USSR" written in gold paint. The lid isn't hinged and the box sits flat. It is signed with the artist's name, village, and year (1990).