Show all images on one page	#004953 Title: Alice in Wonderland Artist: Gurileova Marie Size: 12x11.5x4 Size (inches): 4.75x4.25x1.5 Price : $750 SOLD!

The quality of work that Maria and Sergey Gurilyev produce is tremendous. They paint boxes in tandem bringing together their strengths, which minimizes weaknesses that might show up if they were painting pieces alone. This is another one of the great examples of the Gurilyev couple that paints traditional Palekh pieces.
Here, we see a gathering of characters from Lewis Carroll's classic "Alice in Wonderland". In the foreground Alice, the Queen, the White Rabbit, and the King play croquet. Their game is very strange; they hold live flamingoes in their hands that serve them as the mallets; while the live hedgehogs serve them as the balls. Over them all the Cheshire Cat lies on the branches of the tree. These branches are covered with various suits of playing cards along with fresh green foliage. It is a very interesting artistic decision. In the background Alice looks at the hole intending to follow the strange White Rabbit dressed like an elegant gentleman that have jumped into this hole.
The palette is very diverse and various tones are used to support the large area of the composition. All of the characters are painted very delicately with smooth brushwork that brings out the elegance and sophistication they seem to strive for. Gold and aluminum paints are used throughout the scene with exceptional skill that brings to life the colors in the composition.
Gold beading and ornamentation frames the scene on the lid, and the same decoration but a little bigger in size runs along the sides of the box. This decoration is a perfect complement to the scene and keeps the same level of intricacy and linear integrity, as well.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while red lacquer completes the interior of the box. A hinge has been fastened to the top of the composition, and the box rests on a small platform. The artists' names, the village of Palekh, and the year of 2005 can be at the bottom of the composition.