Show all images on one page	#009315 Title: Tale of a Hump-backed Horse Artist: Vlezko Vladimir Size: 22.5x16.5x9.5 Size (inches): 8.75x6.5x3.75 Price : $1250 SOLD!

This exquisite box was painted by the famous Palekh artist and former teacher of Palekh Art school,Vlezko Vladimir.
The subject of this handsome box is the popular fairy-tale "The Humpbacked Little Pony". This fairy tale tells about adventures of the stableman Ivan and his faithful friend the Humpbacked Little Pony.
In the beginning of the story Ivan has catch the horse that trampled down the wheat field of his father. The horse asks Ivan to release him, and promises to give Ivan two golden-maned steeds of unheard-of beauty and a pony with two humps on its back and yard-long ears. The golden-maned steeds help Ivan to become the tsar's stableman, while the Little Humpbacked Pony becomes his faithful friend. The capricious and self-willed tsar obliges Ivan to carry out very difficult tasks: to catch the firebird, to kidnap the beautiful Tsar Maiden, and to get the Tsar Maiden's ring lost somewhere on the bottom of the ocean. While fulfilling these errands Ivan travels to the Moon's crystal palace to find the reason of the Huge Whale's torture. His back is covered with forests, meadows and villages, and he can't get free. The Moon tells Ivan that the Whale is punished because he has swallowed three dozen ships. Afterwards the Whale lets the ships go, receiving his freedom, and helps Ivan to find the Tsar Maiden's ring.
The box shows Ivan's transformation into a handsome man. The Tsar-Maiden has ordered the old tsar to dip himself into three cauldrons of boiling water, boiling milk and ice cold water in order to regain his youth. But the coward tsar, in his turn, orders Ivan to be the first to jump into the boiling water. Having undergone this severe trial, Ivan emerges from the last cauldron as an extremely handsome young man, whereas the old tsar, who also decides to test the magic, is boiled alive. All people of the kingdom welcome Ivan, and ask him to become their tsar. In the end of the tale Ivan has married beautiful Tsar Maiden.
A broad spectrum of colors is used to create this highly detailed box. The artist leaves the sky black, which is one of Palekh's stylistic trademarks, but does not mean that the scene is taking place at night. Gold paint and aluminum paints are used to enhance the life and brightness of the scene.
The scene is framed with a golden dot ornament. The sides of the box are decorated with gold filigree patterns accented with aluminum paint.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. The exterior of the box is painted with black lacquer while the interior is completed with red lacquer. The lid is hinged to the top of the composition, and the box rests flat. Under the composition Vlezko has wrote his name, the village of Palekh and 2007.