The Tale of the Dead Princess unfolds on this large work by Mikhail Nebogatov, whose work has been featured in several important exhibitions of lacquer art, as well as the Palekh museum, and the book, "Russian Lacquer, Legends, and Fairy Tales." The center front panel has the beautiful princess serving dinner to the seven bogatyrs. Her stepmother's wicked schemes to do away with her appear on either side. To the right, the servant ordered to tie her to a tree and leave her to the wolves finds herself unable to do the foul deed, instead, letting the girl go with a warning to stay far from the palace. On the left, the queen has taken matters into her own hands. Disguised as an old beggar woman, she offers a poisoned apple to the princess. The bogatyrs' dog, sensing danger, tries to knock the fruit to the ground. Meanwhile, the bogatyrs go about their hunting, bows and falcons at the ready. The rear features a raised, oval panel, framed by golden vines and silver birds, showing the princess and her fiance, Prince Elisey, reunited. The work is beautifully painted, in rich colors lavishly accented with metallic gold and silver. The figures themselves are well drawn, with expressive faces, from the shifty eyes of the queen, to the brotherly bickering of the bogatyrs at the dinner table. This piece is made of high quality papier mache and has a very unique and classy shape for lacquer art, similar to that of a desktop caddy. It is signed on the rear with the artist's name, village, and date of completion. The interior portions are black lacquer. It rests on four round legs. A truly impressive work.

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	9.0	10.0	10.0	10.0	48.5	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.)