Sitting outside with exotic birds, Ludmila looks like she is trying on the hat of her captor, the wizard Chernomor! The round brooch was painted by Palekh artist Mikhail Nebogatov and has a very nice and balanced look to it. It is made out of papier mache and 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.)