Show all images on one page	#001993 Title: The Magic Whip Artist: Vikhrev Ivan Size: 20x14x3.5 Size (inches): 8x5.5x1.25 Price : $865 SOLD!

Ivan Vikhrev from the village of Palekh created this splendid box. It shows a fragment from the Russian fairy-tale "Magic Whip". It tells about the lad, Ivan, who has been always wrongly offended by the tsar and his boyars. One day he saves the nestling fallen down from the nest. For this generous deed he receives the magic whip that can fulfill any of his wishes. Now all Ivan's problems are solved. Before wishing to have a beautiful wife, he decides to punish the unfair tsar and his servants who very often offend and torment poor people. First, with the help of magic whip he orders the noble boyar to pull the carriage filled with wood (this scene is painted on this box), afterwards he commands the magic whip to beat the tsar and his other servants. The tsar is so frightened that he decides to leave the kingdom, and people offer Ivan to be the ruler of that land.
The palette is based on warm tones to convey the bright spirit of the Summer season. There are minor infusions of cool blues and green, but these are made to create emphasis through contrast. The architecture in relation to the landscape is depicted with skill and ease. It shows a balance and a linear structure that has a developed set of angles to show a dynamic world. Each of the characters is painted to carry his own unique traits. The artist limns gold paint over the temperas to add an aesthetic flair to the scene.
Elegant gold patterns frame the scene, whereas the box's sides are decorated with more complex ornamentation composed of gold scrolls and silver flowers.
The box is constructed from paper-mache made. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while a lively red lacquer completes the interior of the work. A hinge has been fastened to the top of the composition and the box rests on a flat bottom. The work is signed and dated (1997) by the artist at the bottom of the composition in gold paints.