Show all images on one page	#004957 Title: Gulliver Artist: Lebedeva Marie Size: 15x13.5x4 Size (inches): 6x5.25x1.5 Price : $1950 SOLD!

This attractive Palekh box is a creation of well-known Palekh Artist Marie Lebedeva. It is based on Jonathan Swift's famous work "Gulliver's Travels". This story is about adventures of Lemuel Gulliver, a practical-minded Englishman trained as a surgeon. Once he put out to sea for the love of traveling and adventures. The ship on the board of which Gulliver worked as a doctor was wrecked in the Indian Ocean. Fortunately, Gulliver managed to reach land. He fell asleep being utterly exhausted and woke up being a captive. His hands and legs were tied and his winners strolled along his body. The winners were tiny people who called themselves as Lilliputians. Some time later their emperor released Gulliver from custody and obligated him to defend the kingdom of Liliputya from the hostile kingdom of Blefusku. The reason of the dispute between these two kingdoms was absurd: what side of an egg (sharp or blunt) should be chosen to break. Gulliver captured the fleet of the kingdom of Blefusku but refused to kill its citizens. The emperor of Liliputya was very disappointed by this decision and court ministers began to intrigue against Gulliver. As a result of it the emperor ordered to kill Gulliver. Luckily Gulliver managed to escape to the kingdom of Blefusku where he found a boat and could return home to England.
Here the artist depicts a memorable moment from the story when Gulliver captured the fleet of the kingdom of Blefusku. The artist's brushwork is very intricate. Gulliver is depicted as looking like a well mannered and well educated man. Each of the Lilliputians (the whole number of them is twenty one persons) has his own personality and body language. Gold and aluminum paints are used to fill the scene with various details, and add the sparkle necessary to catch the eye. Lustrous gold metal leaf details Gulliver's coat, decorates the ships and the harnesses of the horses.
The scene is framed with tiny gold beads, while the edges of the lid are decorated with elegant gold and aluminum patterns. Complex gold and aluminum leafy ornamentation decorate the box's sides as well as two parallel strings of gold and grey beads.
The box is made out of paper-mache. Black lacquer covers the exterior and red lacquer covers the interior of the box. The box is hinged from the top of the scene, and rests on legs. The work is signed with the name of the artist, the village of Palekh, and the year of 2004.