An old bearded man glides through the water on top of an iridescent fish. Sitting sideways, the man grabs a fin for balance as he takes off his top hat. The fish has a similar hat, and with bubbles rising from his mouth to the surface, it looks like he could be crooning a classic golden oldie as he makes his way through the algae. The entire top surface is inlayed with mother of pearl and the image lights up before your eyes as you turn the box. The artist, Nikolai Zotov, painted the bottom of the sea floor around the sides in seemingly two layers giving it a 3-D effect. What is immediately appealing about the box is its size - it's so small! Yet the drawing is nicely detailed throughout, and from one of the top Fedoskino artists, too. Zotov's work is featured in several books, including Russian Lacquer Miniatures: Palekh, Mstera, Fedoskino, Kholui. The bottom of the box is black, while the interior is red. There are a couple spots on the red interior where it looks like the paint has dripped, but it also could be an intentional whimsical touch. It is hard to tell. The box has a hinge and is signed with the name of the artist and year. A sensational little gem!

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	9.5

(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.)