Catherine II, more widely know as Catherine the Great, appears on her white horse, sceptre in hand. The city of St. Petersburg stands behind her. Generous portions of gold, a symbol of royalty and divine power, have been generously applied to parts of the composition including the horse's tack, the design in Catherine's dress and her cape, and in the buildings in the distance. Her crown, also gold, has a semi-defined image of a half-bird half-female siren. Meanwhile, amid the bottom gold ornamentation is the image of the Romanov double headed eagle. Both Catherine and the steed on which she sits have commanding presences. The vast sky behind her has a lot of clouds and a lot is happening there, perhaps symbolic of her active and noteworthy reign. The box has a gold, silver and green ornament that frames the composition and adorns the sides. It is made out of high quality papier mache and sits on four legs. There is a hinge at the left. The box is signed with the name of the artist (N. Lopatkina), the title and the village.

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.)