Show all images on one page	#003968 Title: Through the Looking Glass (And What Alice Found There) Artist: Smirnova Vera Size: 18.5x24x6 Size (inches): 7.25x9.5x2.25 Price : $1950 SOLD!

This glorious piece of Russian artistry was created by the talented Vera Smirnova from the village of Palekh. There is a lavish luster here that is stunning. From decoration to depiction, delicious.
Here the artist has drawn various characters from Lewis Carroll's classic tale “Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There”. It is the sequel to "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". Whereas the first book has the deck of cards as a theme, this book is loosely based on a game of chess, played on a giant chessboard with fields for squares. Most main characters met in the story are represented by a chess piece, with Alice herself being a pawn.
At the top of the composition we can see the Red Queen, who offers a throne to Alice if she just moves to the eighth rank in a chess match. To the left of them the White Knight is depicted, and to the right of them the Red Knight is painted. In the left bottom corner the artist has drawn Alice who penetrates into the magic land through the looking-glass. To the right of this scene we can see the King sleeping under the tree. The right bottom corner shows Alice and the White Queen who has transformed into a sheep. A little above this scene the artist has drawn the Lion and the Unicorn.
The composition is thoroughly contoured with bright gold paint. This builds radiance and texture, both at the same time. But, it is the use of gold metal leaf that is truly awe inspirational wonder. Multiple sheets of gold leaf shine through the characters' costumes, the magic mirror and some other areas of the composition.
The box's sides are adorned with an intricate gold foliage pattern. In the middle of each of the box's sides Smirnova has drawn a scene on the tale's theme using tempera and gold paints. On the box's front side we can see the King and the Queen standing in front of the chessboard; the left side shows Alice's kitten playing with chess on the chessboard; on the right side Smirnova has painted Alice who has became a queen; and the rear side depicts the Red Knight drawn in front of the chessboard.
The box is constructed from paper-mache and pressed paper. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the box while red lacquer completes the interior of the work. A hinge is fastened to the left of the scene, and the box rests on four legs. The work is signed with the artist's name, Palekh, and the year of 2008.