Show all images on one page	#004586 Title: Tales of the Old Soldier Artist: Molodkin Nikolay Size: 18x13x6.5 Size (inches): 7x5x2.5 Price : $950 SOLD!

This interesting box has been created by the youngest of Molodkin brothers, Nikolay Molodkin. He is a very talented artist whose works are as unique as the works of this father and brothers.
The work is called “Tales of the Old Soldier”. In the center of the composition the artist has painted the old Russian soldier who took part in the war of 1812. He tells the young people about the bloody battles, and about the glorious victory of the Russian army over the French invaders. From the left of the central scene he has painted the French army attacking Moscow, and from the right of it we can see the Russian army defending Moscow and motherland. Looking at this composition we can remember the famous extract from Lermontov's poem “Borodino”:

"But tell me, uncle, why our men
Let Moscow burn, yet fought again
To drive the French away?
I hear it was a dreadful fight,
A bitter war, by day and night;
That's why we celebrate the might
Of Borodino today."

The composition is painted in Nikolay Molodkin's favorite palette filled with soft blues, greens, oranges, browns and yellows. The area behind the old soldier is painted in brilliant gold paint to accentuate the fame of heroes of the war of 1812. Gold paint is also used to detail the costumes of the characters, the architecture and the landscape.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while red lacquer completes the interior of the box. The composition is outlined with gold. Gold leafy ornamentation decorates the edges of the lid, and runs along the sides of the box. The lid is hinged from the top of the composition and the box rests on four feet. The work is signed with the artist's name, Mstera, the title and the year of 2008.