Show all images on one page	#002361 Title: Pushkin's fairytales Artist: Medvedeva Size: 20.5x15x15 Size (inches): 8x6x6 Price : $1450 SOLD!

Antonina Medvedeva of Mstera is the artist who created this work called "Pushkin's Tales". It is a five-sided box that shows different fairy-tales on each side. She also leaves her trademark gold decorations on the box between the scenes. On the lid she paints Alexander Pushkin who is considered to be the founder of Russian poetry. He stands under the old oak and writes his thrilling tales. All around him there are various scenes from the introduction to "Ruslan and Lyudmila" that starts with the following quatrain:

An oak tree greening by the ocean;
A golden chain about it wound:
Whereon a learned cat, in motion
Both day and night, will walk around;
On walking right he sings a song,
On walking left, he tells a lay.

Here we can also find such characters as the mermaid sitting on the oak's branches, the magic squirrel that shells golden nuts with emerald kernels inside, thirty-three knights, Princess Swan, Baba-Yaga riding her mortar, Kashchey bending over his treasures, Ruslan fighting with Chernomor and others.
Each of the lid's sides decorated with rich gold ornamentation highlighted with light brown and turquoise tempera paints shows a scene from the Pushkin's tale set into an oval. These scenes feature Ruslan riding his steed, Prince Gvidon saving the Princess Swan, the fleet of Tsar Saltan, and the old man catching the magic fish.
The box sides feature the scenes from various Pushkin's fairy-tales. The front side shows the scenes from "Ruslan and Luydmila". It is composed of a number of scenes including Chermor kidnapping Luydmila, Ruslan fighting with the Giant Head and Chernomor, the Old Finn, Rogday and Ratmir trying to kill Ruslan, and Ruslan embarrassing his beloved Lyudmila.
The left side shows the following episodes from "The Magic Fish": the old man catching the magic fish, the old man's wife sitting near the cracked wash-tab, and the old man's wife who has become firstly the rich lady and then the tsaritsa.
The right side displays a number of scenes from "The Sleeping Princess" including the wicked Queen looking at the magic glass, Prince Yelisey asking the Red Sun where he can find the Princess, seven bogatyrs, the Princess taking the poisoned apple from the wicked Queen's servant, Prince Yelisey and the Princess riding the steed and some others.
The rear side depicts the scenes from "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" including the magic squirrel, Prince Gvidon and Princess Swan, three sisters spinning yarn, thirty three knights and the Tsar Saltan's fleet.
The scenes are painted in the traditional palette for the Mstera branch of lacquer miniature painting. Predominance is given to yellow, blue and green tones. Gold paint adds various details throughout the scenes.
The box is constructed out of paper-mache. Black lacquer covers the exterior and red lacquer covers the interior of the box. The lid is hinged from the top of the scene, and the box rests on four legs. The work is signed with the artist's name, the village of Mstera, and the title.