Show all images on one page	#002714 Title: The Twelve Months Artist: Volodina Tamara Yurievna Size: 7.5x6x2 Size (inches): 3x2.25x1 Price : $895 SOLD!

This small oval box has been created by T. Volodina from the village of Fedoskino. It features a fragment from the Russian child's feature film "Twelve Months" based on the fairy-tale of the same title written by Samuil Marshak. The version shown in this film differs a little bit from the well-known plot of the Marshak's fairy-tale. In this version the little, orphaned Princess wants to get snowdrops as a gift for New Year's Day, but these flowers bloom in spring and it's impossible to find them on the New Year's Eve. So, she offers a basket of gold to anyone who can bring her a basket of snowdrops. Meanwhile, in the northern part of the kingdom lives a poor little orphaned girl, Anya, with her cruel stepmother and stepsister. When her greedy stepmother finds out what a rich award is promised for snowdrops, she sends Anya to the forest at the coldest and stormiest night of the year, on the eve of New Year's Day. Anya tries to accomplish this impossible task but the night is so cold that she nearly dies; fortunately, she is saved by the spirits of the Twelve Months. To help the poor girl, the Twelve Months alter the seasons so that she can gather the flowers she needs. They also present the girl a magic ring by means of which the girl may see them once more by throwing the ring against the ground. When she comes back home her stepmother and stepsister take the basket of flowers without thanking the girl and carry it to the palace. The little Princess is happy to get the snowdrops, but she also wants to know how they have managed to find flowers in the middle of winter. She promises to imprison the mother and her daughter if they don't tell her the truth. The frightened ladies confess that the flowers have been found in the forest by Anya. The little Princess wants to know the secret of snowdrops. She orders Anya to bring her snowdrops again, but she doesn't say the girl that she and her suite are going to follow her. In the end (the action takes place in the forest) the Twelve Months punish Anya's stepsister and stepmother by turning them into dogs, and give a good lesson to the little Princess showing her that it's bad to be a such a capricious and cocky girl.
The scene is painted in bright oils against the light green background. Mother-of-pearl shines through Anya's coat and through the crown of the little Princess. Gold metal leaf helps to accentuate richness of the characters' costumes.
The box's exterior is covered with light green paint, and this light green area is studded with tiny and very thin green, blue and lilac veins to imitate the coloring of a stone. The box's sides are adorned with elegant gold ornamentation; its interior is traditionally red.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. It has a hinge from the top of the composition and rests on a flat bottom. The work is signed with the artist's name, the village, the title and the year (2006).