A young harlequin figure shows most of his cards, but keeps one hidden. Everybody has a secret or two. The harlequin is dressed in eye catching colors which contrast beautifully with the understated off white background. The intricacy of the drawing is first rate, and the fine gold embellishments on the clothing and shoes give it an even richer appearance. The drawing has a gold filigree dot ornament that surrounds it, and the tiny gold dots extend to the sides and bottom in a carefully laid out pattern. The base color of the sides and bottom is a mixture of gold and black. The box has a hinge at the left and is signed under the lid with the name of the artist, village and year. We were not familiar with the artist T. Dmitrieva until now, and if this is any indication of her work, you will have definitely have another name to look for in the village of Fedoskino. A superb piece!

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.)