In this oval shaped box by Palekh artist Vera Smirnova, the Nutcracker Prince holds up a beautiful rose for his love Clara. She gently touches his wrist in return. A radiant glistening gold background, which assumes the shape of a large Christmas ornament, surrounds the couple and directs the viewer's eye immediately into this central area. The spherical orb holds the prince and Clara within its warm space, safe from the world around it. A large red bow in the upper right corner, and two smaller ornaments, enhance the romantic and festive mood of the piece.

One might say that there are some antagonists on the box, too; namely, the five gray mice peeking through branches of the tree to the right and to the left. In the Nutcracker story mice had previously waged war against the prince. But now they their earlier ferocity has been softened, and they come off here as looking rather innocuous, if not adorable. On the bottom of the box Smirnova painted the Nutcracker himself, before he was transformed back into the prince. Standing like a warrior, he waves a sword in his left hand, which is cleverly worked into the overall gold ornament design. Under the lid, Smirnova painted an elegant design of gold flowers and leaves.

A nicely done traditional gold and silver ornament adorns the sides. The box is made out of papier mache and has a hinge at the top. Signed on the bottom of the box with the name of the artist, village and title. A truly lovely and original work by one of Palekh's top artists.