This box from the village of Kholui by A. V. Rybakov superbly integrates an elaborate gold ornament with a variety of scenes from the fairy tale "The Frog Princess", too many scenes, in fact, to describe! (You'll just have to go to our fairy tale page and read up on the story to match the drawings with the text). There are at least 33 people depicted on the top and sides, along with the swans and frog, and they are all drawn with a high degree of skill. The scenes are seen through window-like openings in the gold ornament that cover the surface of the lid. The workmanship in this gold design is simply incredible and it is amazing how symmetrical it is from top to bottom and side to side. As they say in magic, it must have been done with mirrors! Smaller ornaments frame smaller scenes on three of the sides, and on the back hinge side there is a simple and elegant gold, green and silver design. The box is made out of high quality papier mache, has a hinge and a traditional red interior. It stands on four small rounded legs. Signed under the lid with the name of the artist, village, title and the fact that it is an original work.

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.)