Mstera Russian Lacquer Box "ASHBERRY NECKLACE "

Description

This fine lacquer box is painted by Olga Strunina from the village of Mstera. The work is called "Ashberry Necklace", and shows village girls picking ashberrries. The lad depicted near them knows how to charm the girls. He shows them an ashberry necklace that looks like a necklace made out of rubies. The girl depicted in the center seems to be very interested in this beautiful necklace. The composition is complex. Besides the main characters it includes supplementary human figures, a woman with a child; different animals, goats and geese; rich landscape and wooden architecture, typical for a Russian village.
The execution of this composition is superb. The detailing, such as the foliage, the human faces and their costumes, and the animals is especially noteworthy.
For ornamentation floral filigree frames the scene on the lid. The filigree is painted with pastel paints that complement the colors in the composition. Gold paint is intricately applied to the floral arrangement adding detail and highlights to the design.
The box is constructed from papier-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the box while red lacquer completes the interior of the work. The lid is hinged from the top of the composition, and the box rests flat. The work is signed with the artist's name, the village of Mstera, the title and the year of 2005.
Size:  7.5 x 6 x 1 in.
Condition:  Excellent, like new, no wear of any kind, in original box, from smoke-free enviro
nment.