Fedoskino artist Viktoria Sinelnikova is known for her fine artwork that is carefully done to the most minute detail, and filled with a lyrical, spiritual quality. Her works display a special sensitivity regarding the depiction of nature. She does more than create beautiful landscapes: her art expresses the power and the soul of the natural world. S. G. Zhizhina, in the foreward of Sinelnikova's catalogue, writes that "each and every new work by the artist is a realm of scintillating, singing colors, and one wants this song to go on forever."

This box depicts a young woman swimming in a river that flows in a shallow curve from one side of the box to the other. Various fish swim around her, and overhead a group of large trees form a canopy to the scene. The figures are all drawn very naturalistically--Sinelnikova is a master of form, whether it is human figures, animals or foliage. But there is something about the work, in its sparkling palette, the metallic effects and the fascinating interaction between the matte oil paint and iridescent mother-of-pearl inlay, that expresses a heightened reality. This is no mere landscape or nature scene, it truly has a lyrical spirit. The composition is very harmonious. The foreground features an intricate collection of seaweeds and other underwater plants, with some different kinds of fish swimming around. Just above this is a rather empty space representing the water, and here the young woman swimmer is the focal point. The horizontal lines and forward motion in this figure balance the mostly vertical forms of the underwater plants. The top of the image shows a group of treetops, as though glimpsed from below the surface of some very calm water. The entire scene has been painted on a large piece of mother-of-pearl. Sinelnikova drew the details with a rather thin application of oil paint, so the entire drawing is lit up by the inlay shining through. There is a thin band of metal, probably copper, around the inlay, creating an elegant, finished border to the image.

The sides of the box are mostly turquoise in color, with some gold touches. The color is not solid, but rather has different colors in overlapping swirl patterns, painted on different layers of clear lacquer. Bits of mother-of-pearl have been added as well, so there are some iridescent flecks further enhancing this rich box. The bottom of the piece has a copper wire, forming a lip around the edge, to protect the box from being scuffed. Inside the box is ivory-colored, with an abstract swirl pattern around the edge of the bottom interior. In a round depression on the inside lid, the artist signs the work with her name, village, the title and year (2000). The box is made of high-quality papier-mache, and it is a bit heavier than usual due to the large inlay in the lid. A superior box! It is featured on p. 22 of Sinelnikova's recent catalogue, and we will include a copy of this very professional publication with this box.--BOX1414

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	10.0

(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.)