The fearsome witch, Baba Yaga, leaves her chicken footed hut in search of unlucky travellers who have ventured too close to her yard. An enchanted skull on her fence post casts an erie light on the dark forest, supplementing the dim glow of a crescent moon. Baba Yaga's magical pestle is propped up against the fence; the witch will let her owl companion do the flying tonight. The strikingly sinister scene combines sinuous lines and a high contrast palette of pale greens and deep reds and blues to create and eerie mood. This box is made of high quality papier mache and is signed on the lid with the title, artist's name, and village. There is a hinge at the top, and the interior is red lacquer. The base of this piece is flush. We have seen this work being done before, but this version, by Kholui artist A. Romanova, looks to be as good as they come.

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.)