Show all images on one page	#007011 Title: Iliya Muromets Artist: Dogadin Alexander Size: 13.5x15.5x4 Size (inches): 5.25x6x1.5 Price : $795 SOLD!

This magnificent Mstera box is a creation of Dogadin Alexander. The subject is based on the Russian bylina(ancient story)"Three Trips of Ilya Muromets". Ilya Muromets reaches the crossroad and thinks what direction it is necessary to choose. If he chooses the road leading to the left he will be killed. If he chooses the road leading to the right he will be married. If he chooses the forward direction he will be rich. The bogatyr chooses the road leading to the left...
Ilya Muromets (or Ilya of Murom) was born in the town of Murom, and for the first 30 and 3 years of his life he was ill and could neither walk nor move himself. Legend has it that one day a Holy Man came to his cottage and commanded him to get up and walk and to give him the water. To his great astonishment Ilya rose and was able to walk. He gave the Holy Man to drink and drank himself. Within a few minutes he felt extraordinary power and strength in his limbs and entire body.
Ilya Muromets accomplished many feats, and was a faithful defender of Ancient Russia. This work depicts the most famous of his feats - the victory over Solovey Razboynik (or the Evil Bandit the Nightingale Whistler), who robbed merchants on their way to Kiev and killed people with the sound of his whistle. The composition includes several scenes. One of them depict the battle of Ilya Muromets with Solovey Razboynik (in the middle), and after that Ilya Muromets will show Prince Vladimir the head of Solovey Razboynik as the proof that the road to Kiev is safe now...
The composition is painted in bright tempera paints, and richly detailed with gold and silver metal paints. Gold and silver paints are also used to decorate the box's exterior with intricate floral patterns.
The composition is outlined with gold. The edges of the lid and the box's sides are adorned with intricate gold patterns.
The box is constructed out of paper-mache. Black lacquer covers the exterior and red lacquer covers the interior of the box. The lid is hinged from the top of the composition, and the box rests on wavy platform. The work is signed with the artist's name, Mstera, and the title.