Show all images on one page	#006270 Title: Tale of Tsar the Saltan Artist: Shirokova Anastasiya Size: 17x12.5x14.5 Size (inches): 6.75x5x5.75 Price : $1000 SOLD!

This large box was created by Mstera artist Anastasiya Shirokova. She is the daughter of the prominent Mstera artist Anatoly Shirokov. In the choice of color and peculiar representation of fairy-tale characters her works bear resemblance to the works of her father. This piece is a feast for the eyes, and a handsome addition to any collection.
The box's lid and all four sides feature various episodes from the Pushkin's "Tale of Tsar Saltan". The right side features Price Gvidon saving Princess Swan from the hawk's attack. The rear side shows Princess Swan appearing before the amazed Prince Gvidon in her human form. On the left side we can see Prince Gvidon who hovers over the Tsar Saltan's chamber turning into a bee, none of the tsar's servants can catch the insect. The front side depicts Tsar Saltan's fleet approaching the rich island of Prince Gvidon. The lid shows Prince Gvidon and Princess Swan welcoming Tsar Saltan with bread and salt (it is an old Russian custom to meet guests with bread and salt); over the figures of Prince Gvidon and Princess Swan the artist has written the following extract from the fairy-tale: "There is a wondrous island surrounded with the blue sea; the marvelous town with beautiful gardens, rich palaces and golden domed churches are located there..."
The box is richly decorated. Each scene is decorated with intricate gold patterns accented with aluminum paints and also with olive, red and blue tempera paints. The most beautiful patterns can be found on the lid's sloping sides; in the middle of each side there is an accompanying small miniature showing a separate character from the fairy-tale: Tsar Saltan, Prince Gvidon, Uncle Chernomor, and Princess Swan. Even each of the box's four legs is adorned with elegant designs.
The box is made of high-quality paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while red lacquer completes the interior of the box. The lid is hinged at the top of the composition. The work is signed, dated (2006) and titled by the artist.