Show all images on one page	#001774 Title: Easter Artist: Presnyakova O. Size: 5x5x5 Size (inches): 2x2x2 Price : $350 SOLD!

This small box has been created by O. Presnyakova from the village of Mstera. It is called "Easter", and shows how the Russians celebrate this religious feast. Easter is the main religious feast in Orthodox Russia. At Eastertide Russian people cover eggs with bright paints to present them to their relatives and friends, cook Easter cakes, visit churches to attend service, and go to cemeteries to put flowers on graves of their nearest and dearest.
The scene painted on the box's lid features a girl and a lad presenting Easter eggs to each other. In the background we can see several churches, and the house through the opened door of which we can easily see the inner setting. There are several eggs and an Easter cake on the table covered with a white festive tablecloth, on the wall hangs the Russian icon. The ritual of presenting Easter eggs is repeated on one of the box's sides that shows a girl and an old man changing with eggs. Another of four scenes painted on the sides depicts Russian women cooking Easter cakes. The third scene features a couple in the cemetery mourning for their relative, while the fourth one shows a girl and a lad riding swings.
Each of these five scenes is framed with a gold line. Almost all box's exterior is covered with intricate gold patterns. Two letters are inserted into the pattern painted on the lid's sides. They are abbreviation of the phrase "Christ has arisen!"
The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the box while red lacquer completes the interior of the work. The box is hinged and rests on a flat bottom. The work is signed with the artist's name, the title ("Easter"), and the village of Mstera.