Elena the Wise throws up her hands in defeat after being unable to find the young guard. The powerful princess agreed that if she could not find him within 10 hours, she would agree to marry him. With the help of a wise spirit, the guard has been transformed into a tiny needle and hidden himself in Elena's magical book. The guard's spirit friend, in the form of an owl watches as Elena flips through the pages in search of the lad's location, only to flip past his hiding place. The scene is beautifully painted in a striking blend of realism and sparkling gold. A delicate veil of golden accents seems to envelope the scene, which slowly gives way to a design of sketch-like buildings and exotic blue flowers against a shimmering gold foil background. The deep green sides are awash in delicate blossoms and tendrils, which continue onto the bottom of the box. The swirling earth tones of the interior hold the title, artist's name, village, and date of completion on the underside of the lid, and a thin golden needle painted on the floor of the box. This box is made of high quality papier mache, and is also signed with title, artist's name, village, and date on the outer side of the lid. It rests on three round legs.

Lacquerbox Condition Ratings

Surface Condition (exterior)	Surface Condition (interior/bottom)	Box Materials and Soundness	Hinge and Lid Placement	Signature	Total Rating	Mother-of-pearl Condition
9.5	9.5	10.0	10.0	10.0	49	N/A

(Each category rated 1-10. For low scores, look for explanation in the description of box. In general, any total rating over 40 is excellent. For more information on rating system, click here.)