Show all images on one page	#002374 Title: Pushkin's fairytales Artist: Shirokov Anatoliy Size: 24x18x4.5 Size (inches): 9.5x7x1.75 Price : $1195 SOLD!

Anatoliy Shirokov of Mstera is the talented master responsible for the gorgeous artistry applied here. The work is called "Pushkin's Fairy-Tales", and shows different characters from various tales written by world famous author Alexander Pushkin. In the middle of the composition there is the magic oak described in the introduction to the popular poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila". To the right from this oak the artist has written in gold paints the following extract from this introduction (above it there is the title of the work):

An oak tree greening by the ocean;
A golden chain about it would:
Whereon a learned cat, in motion
Both day and night, will walk around;
On walking left, he tells a lay.

The mermaid who is sitting on the oak's branches, several huts on chicken feet depicted behind the oak, Kashchey bending over his treasures painted under the oak, the gray wolf and thirty great gorgeous knights with their master portrayed in the left bottom corner also figure in the introduction to "Ruslan and Lyudmila". To the left from the magic oak Shirokov depicts Ruslan and Ludmila sitting on the steed's back. They are hastening to their native kingdom to calm Ludmila's father with the news that his daughter has been saved by her bridegroom and that the greatest feast should be arranged. To the right from the oak the artist paints Yugeny Onegin and Tatyana who are the main characters of Pushkin's poem "Yugeny Onegin". The central scene is framed with a thick gold line adorned with various scrolls in the corners. Beyond the boundaries of this frame besides the wolf, Koshchey and thirty knights listed above we can see another characters of Pushkin's tales: Tsar Dadon and the Shemakha Queen from "The Tale of Golden Cockerel" (pained in the left part of the box); the Swan Princess from "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" and the Fisherman with his Magic Fish from "The Tale of Magic Fish" (they are portrayed in the right part of the box); and Ruslan battling with Chernomor (poem "Ruslan and Lyumila").
Alluring pastels blend within a rainbow of exquisite colors and precise detailing. Olive greens, light tan, caramel, orange and blue make up the majority of the beautiful setting. The oak's crown, the sun painted in the left upper corner and the cathedrals of the kingdom are painted against the lustrous gold background. Gold is also abundantly used to detail and paint various elements throughout the composition including Ruslan's armour, Koshchey's treasures, light in the windows and many others.
The edges of the lid are decorated with beautiful gold ornamentation composed of scrolls and beads. The sides of the box are adorned with more complex designs painted in gold and tempera paints, and supplemented with encircled small miniatures featuring another characters from Pushkin's tales including Princess Swan in her animal form; the Squirrel; the hut on chicken legs; Gvidon's ship; treasures in the chest; the Magic Fish; two owls; forest setting with mushrooms and birds; the broken wash-tab; the flying owl; the golden cockerel sitting on the tower, and bird of black kite killed with Gvidon's arrow. These miniatures are arranged in groups of three on each side.
The box is constructed from paper-mache made in the village of Mstera. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while red lacquer completes the interior of the box. A hinge has been fastened along the top of the composition and the box rests on four legs. The work is signed and titled by the author.