Show all images on one page	#007779 Title: Mariya the Beautiful, a long plait Artist: Strunin Konstantin Size: 12x6.5 Size (inches): 4.75x2.5 Price : $950 SOLD!

This wonderful piece of art was created by well-known Mstera artist Konstantin Strunin. His works are always stands out for peculiar style and high quality of execution. Konstantin is the husband of Olga Strunina and the son-in-law of well-known Mstera Master Lev Fomichev. Lev, who is one of the founders of Mstera art, has passed on his painting experience to his relatives, Olga and Konstantin. It's obvious that Konstantin's manner of painting is similar to Fomichev's recognizable style. But, beyond controversy, Konstantin is a talented artist, who has his own artistic touch and vision. Lev makes his own tempera paints. Konstantin uses his father-in-law's paints for his own work.
The subject of the composition is "Mariya the Beautiful, a long plait".

In some kingdom there lived a Tsar with his Tsarina. They had an only daughter Mariya the Beautiful, a long plait. People in the kingdom had been living happily till a great disaster came. The terrible Dragon with nine heads, nine trunks and nine tails fell upon the peaceful kingdom. The Dragon flew with his two sons, the older one had six heads and the younger one had three heads. The Dragon told the following words:
- Listen to me, Tsar with Tsarina and all people! I will reduce your kingdom to ashes, I will pull out all forests, I will splash out all rivers and lakes, I will trample down all fields and meadows, I will kill all people of your kingdom! If you want to be alive, you must feed me and my sons to our death. Every day you should leave a young girl at the age of sixteen in the Buyan Mounteen and we will eat her.
All people cried bitterly but they had to submit to the Dragon and every day they took a girl at the age of sixteen, chained her to the centenary oak that grew in the Buyan Mounteen and left her there. The Dragons flew, ate the girl and threw her bones in the lake.
At that time there lived a grandmother with her beloved grandson Vanusha. Once Vanusha saw how Marya the Beautiful, a long plait was singing and dancing in a ring and fell in love with her. Suddenly he knew that it was Marya's turn to go to the Buyan Mounteen and he decided to defend her from the Dragons. Vanusha said to his grandmother:
-Give me, grandmother, a clean linen shirt. I will go to fight the ferocious Dragons.
The grandmother began to cry. She ran to the kitchen garden, brought stinging nettle and began to braid the second shirt of it. Weeping bitterly she said to her grandson:
-Vanusha, put on this shirt. The Dragon will burn his tongues if he bites you.
-All right, - answered Vanusha.
Mariya the Beautiful, a long plait was chained to the centenary oak that grew in the Buyan Mounteen. She saw Vanusha and began to weep:
- Why have you come here, a fine fellow? Soon the Dragon will fly. Go away, he may eat you!
-Don't be afraid, - answered Vanusha.
He tore the gold chain like a rotten rope, lay on the ground, put his head on Marya's knees and said:
-I will sleep a little, wake me up if you catch sight of the Dragon. Marya the Beautiful, a long plait woke up Vanusha, as soon as she saw the Dragon with his three heads.
-Pray to the God and say goodbye to the world, Ivan, I will eat you, the Dragon threatened Vanusha.
-You won't swallow me, damned Dragon. You will choke with me, - answered Ivan.
Vanusha snatched the sharp scythe, swung his arm and splayed all three heads of the Dragon. Then he cut the tongues out of the Dragon's heads, put them into his bag, hid the heads behind the big, gray stone and fell asleep. So, finally Vanuysha has killed all three Dragons and put the tongues in his bag.
Mariya the Beautiful, a long plait came to him and said: -Thank you, Ivan, you've saved me and the whole kingdom. I want to be your wife. She took off a gold ring and gave it to Ivan. Vanusha was happy to take it and then he fell asleep again. A short time later the Tsar's Voevode appeared on the road. He grabbed Mariya the Beautiful, a long plait and drove her to the thick forest.
-Tell your father that I've saved you and the whole kingdom from the Dragons instead of silly Ivan or I will kill you, - said the Voevode to Mariya in the depths of the forest.
Marya the Beautiful, a long plait had to submit to him and they went to the palace. The Voevode showed the Tsar the Dragons heads and accepted an offer to marry Mariya the Beautiful, a long plait.
At that time Vanusha woke up and went to the town. People told him about the wedding and he decided to go to the palace at once.
The wedding was at it's height. The bride was pale and tearful, she didn't want to marry the Voevode. Ivan took a gold bowl, dropped Mariya's gold ring into it, called a servant and said to him:
- Bow to Mariya the Beautiful and ask her to drink this bowl.
Marya the Beautiful, a long plait drank the bowl and found her gold ring at the bottom of it. She was very happy and declared to all people: -The Voevode hasn't saved my life. It was the other man who has done it. Come her, Ivanushka. Here is my bridegroom!
The Voevode began to justify himself:
-I've killed the Dragons and even showed their heads!
Ivan exclaimed:
-If you find the defects in these heads I will agree that you've killed the Dragons.
The Voevode couldn't say anything. Ivanushka raised the heads, opened the jaws and said.
-There aren't any tongues in the Dragons' heads, these tongues are in my bag. Look!
Everybody understood that Vanusha was the winner of the Dragons. The Tsar was very angry with the Voevode and turned him out of the kingdom. And the same evening Vanusha and Mariya the Beautiful, a long plait got married.

This original shape box is constructed out of paper-mache. Black lacquer covers the exterior and red lacquer covers the interior of the box. The box is not hinged and rests on three small round legs. Upon completing the work on this piece the artist writes, on the extriors's bottom of the box, the title, Mstera, his personalized signature. This inscriptions painted in gold and adorned with silver floral ornament.