Master Palekh artist Vera Smirnova paints one of her favorite subjects: Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. The extensive gold work in her miniatures and the tenderness in which she paints faces lend themselves beautifully to religious themes like this. There is an incredible amount of gold brush stokes throughout the painting, all done with high level of intricacy. The gold lines seem to flow in a variety of directions, adhering to the contours of the clothing, hair, flowers, etc. Ultimately, though, the flow ends at the gold cross, which seems to be a visual anchor, strong and unwavering. (Unfortunately you are not able to see this in the pictures here due to the fineness of the gold and the limitations of the camera.) Meanwhile, Smirnova paints the faces of both the Virgin and Jesus with lovely shading and nuance, a feat very difficult to do with egg tempera paints. The drawing is framed with a simple line ornament on the top and another one along the sides. The box is made out of high quality papier mache and has a hinge on the left. It sits flat with no legs. Signed with the name of the artist, village and year.

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.)