Show all images on one page	#002025 Title: In Waiting Artist: Knyazev Sergey Size: 17x12x3.5 Size (inches): 6.75x4.75x1.5 Price : $1195 SOLD!

Simple in its design but exquisite in its implementation, this portrait of Russian girls peeping out of the window is an incredible miniature! Sergey Knyazev has combined brilliant skill with oil paints in shading, coloring, texturing, and a gift for realism, with the beauty of mother-of-pearl inlay and delicate decoration. This piece is truly a work of art, from top to bottom!
The work is called "In Waiting", and judging from the title the girls must be waiting for their suitors. Romantic and elevated mood is reflected on their faces.
The scene is mostly painted in brown tones. Light skin-tone paints are used to paint the hands and faces, which have good texture and contours. The girls' rosy cheeks and bright eyes show a youthful beauty and innocence. Their costumes are given a formal appeal with its complex patterns and intricate designs. The scene is painted over gold metal powder that helps to attract light to the piece. Multicolored spangles are used to create the brilliance the girl's beads and kokoshniks. The most noticeable is the inlaid mother-of-pearl for the window. It creates the effect of sunshine seeping through multicolored glass of the mosaic window. By having the mother-of-pearl below several layers of clear lacquer, the artist also gives the headdress of the girl depicted on the left depth and shine impossible to achieve with oil paints alone.
The box is constructed from quality paper-mache made in the village of Fedoskino. The interior of the box is covered with red lacquer, the box's exterior is covered with black lacquer mixed with gold spangles. The lid is hinged from the left and rests on a flat bottom. Knyazev has added an inscription to the interior of the lid. Here, we see the title of the work, the artist's name, the village name of Fedoskino, and the date of completion being 2005.