Show all images on one page	#001872 Title: House that Jack built Artist: Akimova Inna Size: 7.5x7.5x6 Size (inches): 3x3x2.5 Price : $700 SOLD!

This fine piece of Russian artistry was composed by the talented Inna Akimova from the village of Palekh. It is called "The house that Jack built", and shows the Russian version of the folk English song with the same title. This song was translated into Russian, and changed a little bit by the famous Soviet poet S. Marshak. The lid's composition and round painting on the sides shows various scenes from this verse. Each scene corresponds to a separate quatrain; and also each scene is entitled by the first line of each quatrain. The lid's composition features the main character of this verse, Jack, peeping out of his house. In the upper part of this scene we can see the title of this work written in gold paints. The sides of the box show as it was said above different quatrains from the verse that follow one after another:

The wheat that is kept in the dark larder in the house that Jack built,
The merry Bird-Titmouse that often steals this wheat,
The Cat that frightens and hunts the Bird-Titmouse,
The Dog that worries and bites the Cat,
The Cow with the crumpled corn that kicks the Dog,
The Old Woman who milks the Cow with the crumpled corn,
The fat and lazy Shepherd who quarrels with the Old Woman,
Two Cocks that awaken the fat and lazy Shepherd in the house that Jack built.

The palette is vivid and brightly depicts the action taking place. Gold and aluminum are used to detail and highlight virtually every portion of the composition. This enhances the already lustrous palette and makes the scene sparkle from within. The artist, however, does not overpower the scene with her use of metallic paints and uses subtlety in its application to achieve effectiveness.
Each scene is framed with a gold frame. The edges of the lid are adorned with gold beading design. The similar design decorates the bottom border of the box.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the box while red lacquer completes the interior of the work. The lid isn't hinged, and the box rests on a small platform. The box is signed with the artist's name, the village of Palekh, and the title.