Show all images on one page	#007256 Title: Ruslan and Ludmila Artist: Bogdanov Vladimir Size: 17.5x2.5x2.5 Size (inches): 7x1x1 Price : $375 SOLD!

This attractive pencil-box was painted by a well-known Palekh artist Vladimir Bogdanov (born 1956). This talented artist is a participant of various exhibitions since 1985. His works are kept in the Art Fund of Russian Federation.
The box depicts several scenes from the Pushkin's fairy-tale "Ruslan and Ludmila". The hero of the tale, Ruslan, is represented in every of them.To the right, Chernomor (the wizard) is flying over the palace, and Ruslan has catch him for a very long beard.
The left side shows another scene from the tale. It shows the epic battle between Ruslan and the Giant Head. Ruslan must defeat the Head in order to retrieve the blade. With that blade Ruslan must cut the magic out from within the beard of Chernomor.
In the center of the box Ruslan with Ludmila are returning happily home on a horse.
The artist fills the scene with lots of action and detail. The palette is quite diverse and he uses yellows, oranges, reds and cream tones to define the characters and the architecture, while dark greens and blues are used for the depiction of a surrounding landscape. He leaves the sky in the background blank, which is part of the traditional Palekh style. It makes one focus directly on the action, which is shown sometimes without regard for perspectives or proportions; this hearkens back to the icon painting style. The lines are all precisely drawn and the figures well decorated. Gold is used to enhance the detailing, as is aluminum in subtle amounts. The composition is filled with a life force that the artist creates with expert transitioning, brushwork, and overall flow of the action in the scene.
The box is made of paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while red lacquer completes the interior of the box. The lid is hinged from the top of the composition. Gold scroll work frames the compositions with an intricately managed design. It is signed with the artist's name, village and year (2013).