Show all images on one page	#007348 Title: The Twevle Months Artist: Volodina Tamara Size: 12x9.5x4 Size (inches): 4.75x3.75x1.5 Price : $1490 SOLD!

This beautiful box created by Tamara Volodina (Belovodova) features a fragment from the Russian child's story "The 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 entire scene is painted over a large pearl-shell that shimmers with delicate pink, blue and green undertones. The costumes of the characters are detailed with gold paint.
The scene is framed with a gold band. Another gold band can be found wrapping around the box's sides but it is accompanied by four oval pearl pieces glued to the box manually. The box's interior is covered with the beige velvety material; its exterior is traditionally covered with black lacquer. The box can be closed firmly by means of a special adjustment that looks like a small gold metal pin that is placed into the socket when the box is closed. The box rests on four small rounded gold metal legs.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. The lid is hinged from the top of the scene. The work is signed with the artist's name, the year of 2007 and the village of Fedoskino.