Show all images on one page	#001688 Title: Tale of Tsar Saltan Artist: Populovs Eugene and Marina Size: 10x7.5x10 Size (inches): 3.75x2.75x3.75 Price: 850

The Populovs, Yevgeniy and Marina, combined their talents in order to create this profound presentation of genuine Russian artistry. The box depicts various scenes from the Tale of Tsar Saltan. One of the box's sides features the beginning of this tale. By the tsar's order, Tsar Saltan's wife and his son, Prince Gvidon, were sealed in the barrel that afterward was thrown into the sea. The barrel landed to a mysterious island. Getting out of the barrel Gvidon and his mother saw a magnificent palace where they would live later. They didn't know that this rich island would be Gvidon's property.
The lid's artistry shows the moment when the Swan Princess reveals herself in her human form to Gvidon. The princess rises from out of the raging sea. Gvidon, astonished by her beauty, extends his arms to her. Dozens of swirling gold and aluminum contours build here the wavy motion of the ocean. In the background the artist depicts Gvidon's palace. Elaborate series of towers, arches and walls, and fine decoration on some of the walls and roofs nicely completes the fairy-tale landscape.
Another one of the box's sides depicts Prince Gvidon and the Princess Swan looking at the ship on the board of which Gvidon's father is sailing. Tsar Saltan will see on this fairy island many wonders showed on two rest sides. One of them features the squirrel that cracks golden nuts with emeralds inside and sings songs. The squirrel sits in the crystal house guarded by a warrior. A scribe is records every golden shell and every emerald with the help of a girl. And the last side depicts thirty-three handsome young knights and their uncle old Chernomor, who everyday emerge from the raging sea to protect the island.
Each of the scenes are well-done, in a traditional Palekh style. The drawing is quite fine, with small details in the characters' faces and costumes, some architecture and the landscape. The figures show the influence of icon art, with their stylized appearance and slightly elongated figures. Each of the characters has an individual look, with well-defined features and detailed costumes. The colorful drawings, with warm orange-red and bright cold greens and blues contrast each other nicely against the black background. The scenes are richly enhanced with gold and aluminum paints that add a rich brightness to the work.
The box is richly decorated. The composition painted on the lid is framed with gold beads. Each of the lid's four slopping sides are adorned with elaborate gold filigree patterns. In the middle of each side there is the small round miniature. Two of them feature Gvidon's palace, whereas the third miniature shows the Princess Swan in her inhuman form, and the fourth one shows the ship sailing on the ocean. Each composition painted on the box's sides is decorated with gold beading designs and gold filigree designs.
The box is constructed out of high-grade paper-mache. The lid is hinged on top and the box stands on four round feet. The exterior of the piece is painted with black lacquer and interior is painted with red lacquer. The artists wrote their names and the village name of Palekh along the bottom of the lid's composition in gold paint.