Show all images on one page	#001784 Title: Tale of the Tsar Saltan Artist: Fomichov Lev Alexandrovich(b.1932) Size: 18.5x18.5x3.5 Size (inches): 7.25x7.25x1.5 Price : $950 SOLD!

The style and skill of master artist Lev Fomichov is perfectly suited to this elaborate and grand composition. Scenes with many detailed figures, such as this one, is one of the things for which Fomichov is well known. Learning his trade from the old icon painters, the massed but unique figures are a staple of many of his highly detailed and highly coveted works.
Here the artist has chosen to depict a scene from the Pushkin's fairy-tale "The Tale of Tsar Saltan". Prince Gvidon, his wife the Princess Swan, and his mother meet the ship on the board of which Tsar Saltan is sailing. Canons fire to welcome the foreign guest, and even uncle old Chernomor and his thirty-three knights have risen from the sea to greet Tsar Saltan. Tsar Saltan heard much about the mysterious and rich island ruled by Prince Gvidon and his young beautiful wife. He heard about the magic squirrel that all day long shells golden nuts; he listened the stories about uncle old Chernomor and thirty-three knights who defend this wondrous island, and decided to visit this interesting place. He doesn't know that powerful and rich Prince Gvidon is his son.
One of the things that makes Fomichov's work so amazing is his ability to create very detailed and diverse scenes using a minimal number of shades of paint. This scene is dominated by mustard, ochre, green and red, with little variance in tone. Each face is highly detailed, and motion is everywhere. Gold paint is used sparingly but purposefully throughout the scene to detail and accentuate.
Gold floral designs, immediately recognizable as Fomichov's, frame the composition on the lid, and decorate the sides of the box. These designs are painted in gold, and accented with red and blue tempera paints. The lid is hinged from the top of the composition, and the box rests on a flat bottom. This incredible work is signed, dated (2005), and titled ("The Tale of Tsar Saltan") by the master.