The girl Vasilisa carries her little doll through the rather scary countryside. Creatures and characters of the forest surround her, some which are part of the Russian fairy tale "Vasilisa the Beautiful", and some which may be more part of the artist's imagination. The horsemen and Baba-Yaga are certainly part of the tale, and the latter you can see her flying by on her mortar, broomstick in hand. Right below her is her hut, which stands on large chicken feet and is guarded by eerie looking skulls in the yard. The artist, Tatyana Smirnova, used her creativity, though, for some of the other images, like the prehistoric winged dinosaur in the sky. Or the mushroom with a face right beside her. The whole atmosphere is perfect given the fairy tale subject matter and the wonders that can occur in that world. The images in the drawing have a fair amount of fine gold leaf which help define and draw attention to them. The circular orb behind each horsemen has a very pretty phosphorescent color, and Vasilisa dress glows slightly, as well. The box has a gold and silver ornament on the top and sides. It is made out of high quality papier mache and does not have a hinge. It is signed with the name of the artist, village and year. Underneath the artist writes that it is "Made in Russia" and draws her unique identifying symbol.

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.)