Church bells ring at the triumphant return of Tsar Dadon. A crowd gathers to gaze at the mysterious Shamakha queen. Her flowing trousers billow and her necklaces fly as she undulates in a sensual dance. The women of Dadon's kingdom giggle at her strange attire, so much more revealing than their own long skirts and heavy shawls. One can almost hear their loudly whispered jokes and snickers at the bare stomached stranger. Luckily the Tsar is to intent on the dance to hear them! On the other side of the throne, the men leer and applaud. Even a young rince has been brought to watch by his nurse, who discretely averts her eyes. The child, still of the age to be unimpressed with girls tugs on his nurse's hand, pleading to go and play. In the far background, Dadon's wife weeps openly at her husband's lack of discretion. The scene is marvelously painted in a soft realistic style, with carefully placed golden accents. The curving, waisted shape of the box echoes the sensual scene, while a tiny icon reminds the viewer of its conflict with the traditional, and fairly conservative, culture. This box is made of high quality papier mache and is signed on near one of the legs with the artist's name (Turbeneva) and village. There is a hinge at the top, and the interior is red lacquer. A stunning work.--BOX1068

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.)