This box is based on the fairy tale "The Wild Swans" by Hans Christian Andersen in which a young princess, Elisa, needs to save her eleven brothers from the spell of her evil stepmother, who has turned them all into swans. The moment that Smirnova depicts is near the end of the tale when she places a magical shirt, which she has knitted, on each one, and saves them from their curse. Palekh artist Vera Smirnova paints the scene with great style and radiant gold accents. The images of the young men are particularly catching. Although the soft tender look on their faces may not exactly strike fear in the hearts of their enemies, their multicolor beautifully detailed medieval outfits will sure make them look good in battle! At the top of the piece the long flowing wings of the swans are set against the high walls of a kingdom and a beautifully radiant setting sun. Smirnova paints a highly creative silver and gold border around the sides, which extends to the bottom of the box, as well. (You can see the bottom by clicking on the closeup photos of the box). The perimeter on the bottom extends just slightly lower than the rest of the surface there, so the beautiful design on the bottom of the box is protected from scratches. The box is made out of high quality papier mache and has a hinge to the left. Signed with the name of the artist, village and year. Another great piece from this top artist.

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.)