Show all images on one page	#004617 Title: Tale of Tsar Saltan Artist: Brovkina Nataliya Size: 15.5x19.5x4.5 Size (inches): 6x7.75x1.75 Price : $750 SOLD!

This handsome box is painted by the talented Palekh artist Natalya Brovkina. It depicts a recognizable scene from the Tale of Tsar Saltan. The tsar's merchants look with admiration at a squirrel that cracks golden nuts with emeralds inside and sings songs. The squirrel sits in the crystal house guarded by two warriors. A scribe records every golden shell and every emerald with the help of a girl.
The scene is 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 details are enhanced with gold and aluminum paint.
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 composition is framed with a gold scrolling design; the box's sides are decorated with an intricate gold leafy ornament completed with silver flowers. The lid is hinged from the left of the composition, and the box rests on four legs. The work is signed with the artist's name, Palekh and the year of 2008.