This old lacquer box shows a traditional troika hustling through the Russian countryside. Despite the edge-of-your-seat excitement of the cantering horses, the driver and passengers all project an aura of calm and control. The rural folk are a brave lot and they likely have gone on a ride like this many times in the past. The silver snow has a subtle glow to it made more dramatic by the the dark sky. This box is approaching the half-century mark from its creation and does have quite a few scratches and cracks on the painting, which are probably a little worse than usual for a box this age. They could be minimized with a relacquering, but we'd probably just leave it alone as the flaws do give the box a certain lot of character. The sides are black and have a few small sections where the papier mache is exposed, but generally are in good shape. The box has a hinge and is made out of high quality papier mache. It is signed with the name of the artist, village and title. A nice scene with historical value.

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
5.0	7.0	10.0	10.0	10.0	42	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.)