Show all images on one page	#008125 Title: Queen of Shamakha Artist: Zhiryakov Alexey Size: 16.5x11x4.5 Size (inches): 6.5x4.25x1.75 Price : $950 SOLD!

This composition painted by a well-known Palekh artist Zhiryakov Alexey depicts a scene from Pushkin's fairy-tale "The tale of Golden Cockerel".
From this popular tale we know that Tsar Dodon has sent his sons out to find the enemy that threatens his kingdom. Instead of enemy army, the sons find the tent of a beautiful maiden, the Shamakha Queen. Both of them fall in love with her and nobody of them wants to share such a beauty with the other. As a result of it, they command their armies to battle each other.
Tsar Dadon waits for his sons' return for some time. Realizing that they may get into trouble, he goes himself to see what is wrong, and discovers his sons dead; he also encounters the beautiful Shamakha Queen and is instantly smitten with her beauty. He forgets about his boys and asks her to come back to his kingdom. However, the queen might not be anymore than an illusion as she disappears after Dadon's death at the end of the story.
The artist shows the Shemakha Queen inside her tent. She is young and beautiful; her beauty is so powerful that anybody may fall in love with her at first sight and become obsessed and enslaved by her charms. On the back side we can see warriors of Dadon's sons fighting to each other.
The scene is painted in Palekh style, but over the white color of a blank The box is made of good paper-mache made in the village of Palekh. The scene on the lid is decorated with rich ornament. And this ornament is continued on the sides of the box. The box has a hinge above the composition and rests on a wavy platform. It is signed with the artist's name, title and year(2015).