This unique and beautiful work was done by A. G. Chirkov of Fedoskino, an accomplished artist who combines oil painting and sculpture here. The theme is the sea, and the lid shows a fleet of ships departing from a harbor to sail off into the distance. An old Russian town overlooks the sea; some of the wall around the city, one of the wooden towers and a tiled roof with a cockerel weathervane are visible. Just beyond the wall, many ships are sailing off in a line; the artist even suggests a couple of ships we can't see by sketching in the ghostly shapes of their masts along the left edge of the scene. Gold paint adds a warm touch to the wooden tower and part of the other buildings, while iridescent mother-of-pearl powder has been added to the tile roof and part of the sea to give it a slight glow.

The image on the top fades away into the sides of the box; part of the border between the scenes is vague, and towards the bottom they are set apart by crashing waves. The sides of the box show an underwater landscape, complete with sea-life, sculpted coral reefs and sunken ships. The front of the box has some unusual shapes carved out of the papier-mache, and some fascinating rock-like projections done with pieces of mother-of-pearl that have been set onto the surface of the box. Some of these carvings are meant to suggest waves and currents under the water, but others are meant to create the illusion of features, such as rocks, pieces of coral and the shells of sea mollusks. The coral and various underwater plants have been painted with a delicate, light touch that enhances the ethereal quality of the seascape. If you look closely among the various reefs, it is possible to see detached ships' anchors and treasure chests, their golden contents (done with metallic paint) spilling onto the ocean floor. On the back, a group of stingrays swims past, and below a carved sea plant a pair of rays swims past. The juxtaposition of the small scene of the ships sailing out to sea on the lid, with the underwater seascape where sunken ships fade away into the mysterious scenery, makes the vivid point is more to the world than what is on the surface.

The miniature is made of high-quality papier-mache, with a hinge and no legs. It is signed on the bottom with the artist's name, village initial, title and year (2003). Different work with a fascinating atmosphere.--BOX1288

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.)