Show all images on one page	#007075 Title: By the Pike's will Artist: Strunin Mikhail Size: 7.5x6.5 Size (inches): 3x2.5 Price : $495 SOLD!

This lovely piece of genuine Russian artistry was composed by the talented Mikhail Strunina from the village of Mstera. It shows the key episodes from the popular Russian fairy-tale "By the Pike's Will" or "Emelya and the Magic Pike".
In short, this tale is about a young man who finds a special fish when he goes to get water from the river. In return for releasing her, the Magic Pike offers to fulfill Emelia's wishes. Being a lazy fellow, Emelya light-heartedly uses magic forces, asking the pike to help him to perform his chores while he relaxes. He orders his water-pails to go home by itself, which they do, much to the surprise of his sisters-in-law. Then he orders the sledge to go by itself to the nearest forest where his ax falls wood for the fire. Afterwards he gets to the tsar's palace, riding a stove. In the palace he meets the tsar's daughter and falls in love with her. The tale ends happily and finally Emelya marries the tsar's daughter.
The scene depicted on the box's lid shows Emelya caught the pike. The scenes depicted on the box's sides shows key episodes from this tale: Emelya sits on the stove that goes by itself straight to the Tsar's palace where he will meet the Tsar's daughter, his future wife and an episode where the fire wood was cut by an ax without any human.
The colors are very soft and the tonality is subdued to convey the frozen sense of winter. The artist uses gold paint to accent the composition and make a viewer want to be attracted to it. Every detail is delicately manipulated for a great overall effect. The ground produces most of the action with its swirling currents of snow. This painting is full of life and a zest that Mstera artists are masters at bringing out of their work.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. The edges of the lid and its sides are decorated with beautiful gold patterns. The exterior of the box is painted with black lacquer while the interior is completed with dark red lacquer. The lid isn't hinged and the box rests flat. The work is signed with the artists name, title and village on the base of the box.