Prince Igor, a famous warrior in the history of old Rus' and victor of many battles, is shown riding high on his horse and a sword in his hand. The scene is painted with fine details by Kholui artist Stepanov on a red background, perhaps symbolic of the blood shed in warfare. All of the men in this piece stand strong and heroic, willing to defend old Russia at any cost. The box is made out of high quality papier mache and does not have a hinge. It was made somewhere in the early 1970s, and has no cracks. It still has a nice shine, but the lacquer has settled just a bit, exposing the texture of the material and brush strokes. The box has an old box certificate from 1973 tucked inside, but unfortunately the certificate is for a different box, "The Frog Princess". There may have been some mixup at the workshop, but regardless we are confident that the box is from around this time period. It is signed with the name of the artist, village and title on the bottom of the composition.

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
8.5	9.0	10.0	10.0	10.0	47.5	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.)