This box by Vera Smirnova comes from Hans Christian Andersen's tale of the Snow Queen. Here, Kay and Gerda, the best of neighbors, enjoy each other's company. Gerda sits in a comfortable chair with a book while Kay seems to be excited about something. The cat at his feet just looks up and stares. Things will change quickly, though, and soon Kay will be whisked away to the cold and uncaring world of the Snow Queen, whose face looms in the background. Ultimately, the power of true love will save Kay and the pair will be reunited. To read a summary of this fairy tale, you can go to the wikipedia page.


The composition is brilliantly painted by the artist with exquisite details including extremely fine gold and silver lines throughout. (Unfortunately, the photos here don't do it justice and most of the refined lines cannot be seen). The sweet and innocent faces of both Kay and Gerda contrast with the harder edge seen in the Snow Maiden. The drawing is surrounded by a plain gold ornament, and then wispy snow-like patterns just beyond that. The box is made out of high quality papier mache and has a hinge at the left. The interior is dark red. Signed with the name of the artist, village and year. Exceptional piece!

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.)