Show all images on one page	#771364 Title: Tale of Youth-bringing apples and Live water Artist: Galda N. Size: 18x12x5.5 Price : $950 SOLD!

This marvelous box has been painted by the outstanding Kholuy artist Nikolay Galda. Its subject is based on the thrilling Russian fairy-tale "The Apples of Youth and the Water of Life". The old Tsar dreams of returning him youth and being young again. He sends his three sons to carry him the golden apples and the water of life. With the help of the golden apples, he hopes to become young again, and with the help of the magic water, he intends to heal his poor eyesight. Having been tempted and deceived by a wicked maiden, the elder brothers are taken prisoner, while their young brother Ivan Tsarevich manages to fulfill this task. Here the artist has depicted a wonderful assembly of scenes from this tale to acquaint the viewer with its plot as well as possible. In the left upper corner of the composition we can see three scenes showing the beginning of the story. The first scene shows the tsar sending his sons to fetch the magic apples and water; while the second and the third ones show how two elder brothers have been deceived by the wicked maiden. She tempts them to eat delicious food and rest on the big soft bed. When they fall asleep, she turns over the bed, and they fall into a deep cellar, and have to spend the rest of their lives in captivity. In the upper right corner of the composition the artist depicts several scenes showing the adventures of the youngest son, Ivan Tsarevich. He gallops through the thick forest and comes across the shabby hut where Baba-Yaga lives. With the help of Baba-Yaga and her sisters, Ivan finds out the place where the magic apples grow and where the stream of magic water flows. In the middle of the composition there is the scene showing how Ivan Tsarevich steals the apples of youth from the garden of the incomparably beautiful Blue-Eyed Maiden, while she and her servants are sleeping. Then we should again look on the right side of the composition where the scene showing the Blue-Eyed Maiden taking a steam bath is depicted. Having discovered the loss of her apples, she decides to punish the thief and starts pursuing Ivan Tsarevich. Baba-Yaga and her sisters contrive different methods to detain her: one of them offers her to drink milk, the other one offers her to eat pancakes and the third one offers her to take a steam bath in the bath-house. A little lower from this scene, the artist depicts the tent with Ivan Tsarevich and the Blue-Eyed Maiden sitting inside it. Having run down Ivan Tsarevich, the Blue-Eyed Maiden starts fighting with him, and almost defeats him, but, suddenly, Ivan says: "Don't kill me! You'd better kiss me!". The Blue-Eyed Maiden kisses Ivan Tsarevich and falls in love with him. After that they set up the tent in the wide field and start feasting. In the right low corner of the composition there is the scene showing Ivan Tsarevich flying on the back of the huge bird. This is nearly the end of the story. Before carrying the youth-giving apples and the magic water to the old Tsar, Ivan determines to save his brothers, and successfully does it. Being envious and ungrateful, his brothers decide to kill Ivan. They want to receive a half of the kingdom from their father as a reward for fetching the magic water and apples. So, they push off Ivan Tsarevich into the abyss. At the bottom of the abyss Ivan finds nestlings that are more dead than alive. Heavy shower and strong wind have almost killed them. Ivan covers them with his jacket and saves them. To return his kindness, the huge bird Nagay, the mother of the nestlings, saves Ivan and carries him to his native kingdom. In the left low corner of the composition we can see the scene showing the unmasked elder brothers. They have fallen to their knees before the old tsar and entreat him to excuse them for killing their youngest brother Ivan. The Blue-Eyed Maiden has forced them to admit their guilt. She has set up the tent in the wide field, not from the old tsar's kingdom, and started waiting for Ivan Tsarevich, the father of her children. But Ivan Tsarevich doesn't come, and she decides to wage war against the tsar's army. The tsar is very frightened and forces his elder sons to find Ivan, and only then they confess to the crime that they have committed. And at last, in the middle, at the bottom of the composition we can see the scene showing the end of the story. Ivan Tsarevich approaches the tent where his wife, the Blue-Eyed Maiden, is waiting for him. His two little sons lead him by the hands to his incomparably beautiful wife.
The details in this composition expose Galda as a true master of his craft. Detailing enhances architecture, facial expression and landscape. Purposeful precision. The colors that he takes from his palette are darker shades of various pastels, giving the piece a mystical tone. Gold paint is used to outline and highlight areas of emphasis in the scene. This is done with subtlety and an eye for artistic integrity. The eyes of the viewer are forced to survey the entire piece, a purpose intended by the artist, difficult to create and even more frustrating to duplicate. Galda's artwork captures the imagination and refuses to let go.
The edges of the lid are decorated with the intricate gold patterns highlighted with aluminum paint. The sides of the box are adorned richly with the gold patterns also highlighted with aluminum. These incomparably beautiful patterns are notable for originality, precision and intricacy. The box is made of paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while red lacquer completes the interior of the work. A hinge has been fastened to the top of the composition for ease of opening. The artist completes the piece by writing the title, "Kholui", and his name in gold paint under the composition. In the interior of the lid the artist also writes the title, "Kholui", the year of 2003, the confirmation that it is the original author's work (the composition has been completely elaborated by the artist), and his name. The box rests on four square feet that preserve the box from scratching.