A young woman is captured by Fedoskino artist A. Zimin in a rather untimely moment, as she tries to rescue a basket of flowers that has just tipped over. She seems pensive, if not down, and the falling basket suggests that there is a lot more we don't know about. Her overall appearance, the color and look of her clothing, and the clay pitcher in her other hand suggests that she is not from a main area of Russia, but perhaps she is from a region farther out, like Tatarstan. Or maybe the artist has an interest in the native cultures of the Americas and has used one of them as a subject. In any case, a highly iridescent inlay of mother of pearl has been placed behind her dress, and the light it brings into the scene actually keeps the piece from becoming too melancholy. It is really quite pretty and the pictures here do not seem to convey the iridescence. The box has a gold ornament on the side and black base color. The interior is red. The box is made out of high quality papier mache and is signed at the bottom with the name of the artist and village. A very intriguing piece.

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
9.0	9.5	10.0	10.0	10.0	48.5	9.0

(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.)