This elaborate work shows people celebrating the eve of the Ivan Kupala Day, a slavic holiday celebrated on July 7th. If you read about the holiday in wikipedia by clicking here, you will notice many of the things involved in this holiday are captured in this box. For example, in one photo (second to last in closeup section), you will see girls floating wreaths in the water, as they try to gain foresight into their questions of romance. A lad, meanwhile, reaches his arm toward the wreath in her hand, and if he can take it, the girl will be his! The box is beautifully painted throughout in traditional Mstera style. Twenty-two people are intricately drawn over the surface, which flows continuously from one side to another. Each person is quite unique and in various states of celebration and attire (a couple women do have their breasts showing, too, though it is all quite innocent). The box is made out of high quality papier mache and has a hinge at the top. The interior is red. There is a very small slit in the lacquer on the top, but it is virtually unnoticeable and does not seem to be getting worse. The box is signed with the name of the artist, village and title. From the source of this box, we are estimating that it was done in the mid-1990s. The artist has gained a little notoriety in the past several years, too, as other boxes from him have made their way into several books on the subject including Russian Lacquer Miniatures. A colorful well done piece by a rising Mstera 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.)