Show all images on one page	#005328 Title: The May Night Artist: Shirokov Anatoliy Size: 24x18x4.5 Size (inches): 9.5x7x1.75 Price : $1200 SOLD!

This enchanting original composition was composed by Mstera master Anatoliy Shirokov. It shows several scenes from the N.V. Gogol's literary work “The May Night, or The Drowned Girl ”. This work was included into the famous book of collected stories called “The Evenings in the Village situated not far from Dikanka” written by the same writer. This book was created in the beginning of the nineteenth century and at once became the best seller. It was composed of mystical fairy-tales and horror stories written in the folk style. Creating this literary work Gogol discovered a new style in Russian literature. Telling his horror stories, he described folk traditions and customs of the Ukrainians and praised the beauty of Ukrainian nature that was his motherland.
“The May Night, or The Drowned Girl”, is a love story. It tells about the wondrous event happened with the lad whose name was Levko. This event helped him to marry Ganna, the most beautiful girl in the village. Levko loved Ganna, and she also loved him, but there was a serious problem... Levko's father wanted to marry Ganna too. One warm May night Levko was coming back from the outdoor fete arranged by his friends. He was drunk a little bit, and wanted to sleep. He came to the pond located in the suburbs of the village. The pond that reflected the bright stars and the big golden moon looked very beautiful in the darkness of the night. He saw the deserted water-mill on the bank of the pond, and remembered some strange story. Many years ago a rich miller lived there. He had a beautiful daughter who drowned herself in this pond because her stepmother tormented her. As soon as he remembered this story he heard strange voices and saw the fantastic scene. Beautiful girls dressed in the white gowns appeared on the bank. They started singing and dancing in a ring and playing different games. The lad understood at once, that they were not ordinary girls; they were drowned women. One of them came to the lad and asked to help her. She said that she was the miller's daughter, and that her stepmother who was a witch continued to torment her even after the death. She asked to find her evil stepmother, and promised to fulfill any of his wishes. Levko started observing the drowned women. Nobody of them looked like a witch. Some time later they finished singing and dancing in a ring, and started to play the strange game named “Raven”. The woman who played the role of a raven had to hunt another women. Levko noticed the woman who played this role with cruelty, and shouted pointing at her “She is the witch!”. He was right. The miller's daughter was very happy; she said that she knew about Levko's unhappy love, and gave him the document written by the hand of a district judge. This document announced that the district judge forbade Levko's father to prevent his son marry Ganna. In the morning Levko woke up on the bank of the pond and thought that everything that he saw during the night was a dream. But to his great amazement he found the document the drowned girl gave him in his hands. He went his father and showed him this document. Being very surprised and frightened, his father at once allowed Levko marry Ganna.
In the center of the composition we can see Levko and Ganna sitting on the bench under the big tree. Nearby there is the following inscription written in gold paints: “The sun droops, the night is falling. My sweetheart! Come out of the house!”. To the left from this scene we can see the outdoor fete arranged by Levko's friends; and also Levko showing the document to his father. This document allows him to marry Ganna. To the right form the central scene we can see Levko's father coming back from the party; the drowned women singing and dancing in a ring on the bank of the pond; and the drowned girl giving Levko the document with permission to marry Ganna.
The composition is painted in bright and festive tones. The predominance is given to reds, blues and greens. Some elements of the composition are detailed with gold and aluminum paints.
Beautiful and elaborate floral patterns painted in gold and aluminum frame the composition, and decorate the sides of the box. In the middle of the front side there is the additional miniature showing the village fence, the sunflowers, hens and cocks.
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.