Characters from the fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower" take position on three sides of this square composition by Palekh artist Vera Smirnova. At the right is the witch, who holds the heart and fate of the prince, whom she loved, in her hands. She has cast a spell over him, which he will be under until he finds his true love, who is depicted at the top, along with her two sisters. The prince, himself, is shown in the bottom left. Outlining his real self, which only the girl seems to see, is the creature that he was turned into by the witch. Smirnova shows this characters within a dense network of tree trunks, branches, leaves, grass and other growths of the forest. The number of details is astounding and the golden glow is quite eye catching itself. On the sides, Smirnova diverges from her usual classical gold ornamental design and has done something a little more abstract, drawing a series of gold and green lines, some of which form identifiable shapes (like flowers or leaves), and others which dart from one direction to the next in free flow stream-of-consciousness patterns. The result is refreshingly innovative and will impress even the biggest lacquer box collectors who think they have seen it all. The box is made out of high quality papier mache and has a hinge at the top. It is signed on the bottom of the drawing with the name of the artist, village and year.

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.)