Old Man Winter (Morozko) places a warm coat on the shoulders of a shivering girl in the forest, who had been left there on the orders of her stepmother. The girl raises her mitted hand slightly as if to shyly greet this winter visitor and to say thank you. Smirnova paints the scene with her unique style, and the faces of both Old Man Winter and the girl are both very well drawn and endearing. The coat which Morozko is giving her is lined with dark green phosphorescent paint, giving it a certain magical quality. Fine gold lines are used to highlight the girl's clothing and hair, while fine silver color is used for Morozko. The background directly behind them is black, as in traditional Palekh works, but in framing the scene Smirnova draws a unique band showing images from the snowy covered countryside. Two small fence poles at the bottom cut into the main image just barely and connect the two perspectives. The box has a dotted ornament at the top, and a gold and silver one on the side. It is made out of high quality papier mache and does not have a hinge. It is signed with the name of the artist, village and title. The artist draws her unique symbol TS (Tatyana Smirnova) on the bottom of the box.

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.)