Show all images on one page	#001038 Title: Tale of Tsar Saltan Artist: Tikhomirov Valentin Size: 19.5x16x5.5 Size (inches): 7.75x6.25x2 Price : $950 SOLD!

This entrancing piece of superior Russian artistry was created by established Mstera master Valentin Tikhomirov. There is a distinct sense of overwhelming clarity in his pieces. Well organized artistry that is precise.
Here the artist depicts various scenes from the imaginative story entitled, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”. The story is also known as "The Princess Swan." The bottom part of the composition shows the beginning of the story. In the left bottom corner there is the scene showing Tsar Saltan choosing his wife, while in the right bottom corner a herald reads the Tsar Saltan's order: “ …seal my wife and son in a barrel and cast into the sea!” The top part of the composition shows Gvidon's island with all its wonders: the squirrel that all day long shells golden nuts, separating gold nutshells from emerald kernel of nuts, the thirty-three knights with their uncle old Chernomor, rising from the raging sea, and, the beautiful Princess Swan. In the center of the composition the artist depicts reunion of the family.
The palette is very distinct, which helps to make Tikhomirov's style original among his peers in Mstera. The colors are bold and brightly display each scene as a crucial fixture on the box's body. He paints using techniques from icon painting that allow him to use perspectives and proportions with artistic license to achieve the desired effect. Each scene on the box is filled to the brim with movement and animation in the characters and landscape. The brushwork is superb and shows a wide range of emotions from the characters, while developing the setting in each to dynamically work with the figures. Gold paint is also used and is done so in a subtle manner that brings out the true fire in the box's color scheme.
A band of ornamentation frames the lid's artistry and it also decorates all four base sides. It is painted with green, red, blue tempera paints, and outlined with gold paints. The box is constructed out of high-grade paper-mache. The lid is hinged on top and the box stands on four round feet. The exterior of the piece is painted with black lacquer and interior is painted with red lacquer. The box is signed with the artist's name, village, and title.