Palekh artist Tatyana Smirnova paints a splendid winter scene showing the lazy bones Emelya and the magic pike that he managed to catch. The fish will grant him a host of miracles, some of which can be seen here, like the magic stove that flies him here and there, much to the surprise of local townsfolk. And look at the little tiny legs of the two water buckets to the right of the fish. Very adorable! The pike, meanwhile, has an equally cute expression on his face, as he pops up from the ice hole. (Maybe you can put some words into his mouth?) Smirnova has decided to completely forgo the typical Palekh black background of the scene in favor of a much lighter bluish and white palette, very suitable given the cold winter environment that she wishes to depict. Very modest amounts of fine gold are used to accent some details, as well as the crown on the pike's head. The number of silver lines and dots are much greater and give a palpable frostiness to the wintry surroundings. The gold ornament of the side incorporates a silver snowflake into its design. The box is made out of high quality papier mache and has a hinge at the top. It is signed with the name of the artist, year and village. On the bottom, artist writes "Made in Russia" and draws an identifying symbol TS (Tatyana Smirnova).

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.)