Fedoskino artist Pavel Govorun delights new and old collectors alike with his lacquer art featuring unorthodox works that often come in two or more sections. This one is a highly spirited one showing a young man strumming a balalaika, and a young lady dancing to the music. Govorun likes to paint strong faces with chiseled features, and this look fits extremely well here with the energetic spirit of the dance. He has also inlayed a beautiful piece of mother of pearl into the red shirt of the lad and it give us a strikingly iridiscent glow. The box has an interesting shape being somewhat rectangular but with a little extra on two corners. The top left corner, in fact, rises upward, about 1/4 inch above the rest of the surface. The box, meanwhile, sits on a plate or pedestal which is carved perfectly to cradle the box just right. On both the box and pedestal, the artist has written his name, village, title and year. A stunning work. Ole!

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	9.5

(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.)