This enjoyable work has writing (in Russian) at the bottom which roughly translated means: "A goat went to the garden. The goat ate onion, garlic and all the cabbage. I am taking the goat by the horns and leading him to the market. I am selling him for soap, makeup and blush." The humorous work shows all parts of this little story, beginning on the left when the furious woman discovers the goat in her garden to the happy ending (for the woman) on the right when she is enjoying the results of her trade. The box is colorful and has a lot going on. The Palekh artist, Maya Nebogatova, fills the area with fine details and embellishes them with the characteristic fine gold lines of works from this village. There is a dot ornament that frames the composition and a more elaborate one on the side. The box is made out of high quality papier mache and has a hinge. The interior is red. Signed with the name of the artist, village and year. The theme of this box was done by this young Palekh artist back in 2002 and was based on the work of another Palekh 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.)