Show all images on one page	#001654 Title: Tea drinking(1996) Artist: Chistova A. Size: 12.5x10x5 Size (inches): 4.75x4x2 Price : $650 SOLD!

Chistova A. of Fedoskino is the welcomed artist responsible for this exceptional piece. From the lavish palette of color, to the fascinating detail, an exciting and well rounded work of art. Portrait artistry at its very best.
The solid, deep olive brownish background brings out the holiday of color just that much more. The soothing expression upon the lady's face is priceless. Our eyes are also drawn to the detail in her ruffled clothing, the precise shapes of the tea serving set and the artful designs throughout her clothing. A creamy vanilla, rose red, teal and gold-yellow dominate the composition. A delicious arrangement of color.
Afternoon tea-time (chaepitie) was as much an essential ritual in nineteenth-century Russia as in Victorian England--with a few major differences. The water was boiled in a samovar, which literally translated means "self-heating" (samo=self / varit'=to heat). The samovar is attached to a tiny stove unit at the base. This made the tea too hot to drink from a cup and so it was often drunk from a saucer, as this woman is depicted. However, like the British, cakes or sandwiches were usually eaten with the tea to tide one over until dinner. Candies, much like the ones composed, are also easily welcomed.
A hinge is fastened to the left of the composition, and the box rests on a flat bottom. The sides of the box are decorated with elegant gold patterns.
The box is constructed from paper-mache made in the village of Fedoskino. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while bright red lacquer completes the interior of the work. The traditional Fedoskino factory insignia can also be found painted on the lid's interior. The artist has written his name, the village name of Fedoskino and the year of 1996 of which the box was finished along the bottom of the composition. Brilliantly executed.