Show all images on one page	#007298 Title: Tale of Tsar Saltan Artist: Moshkovich Vladimir Size: 15.5x11x4.5 Size (inches): 6x4.25x1.75 Price : $1100 SOLD!

This rectangular box has been painted by famous Mstera artist Vladimir Moshkovich.
The subject is based on the popular fairy-tale "Tale of Tsar Saltan", written by famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Several scenes depicted here features different moments of the tale including the beginning, the middle part and the end. The left upper corner shows the beginning of the tale:
Three fair maidens, late one night,
Sat and spun by candlelight.
"Were our tsar to marry me,"
Said the eldest of the three,
"I would cook and I would bake -
Oh, what royal feasts I'd make."
Said the second of the three:
"Were our tsar to marry me,
I would weave a cloth of gold
Fair and wondrous to behold."
But the youngest of the three
Murmured: "If he married me -
I would give our tsar an heir
Handsome, brave, beyond compare."

By the tsar's order, Tsar Saltan's wife and his son, Prince Gvidon, were sealed in the barrel that afterward was thrown into the sea. The barrel landed to a mysterious island. Getting out of the barrel Prince and his mother saw a magnificent palace where they would live later. Then Gvidon has save Princess Swan from an evil bird. Also, we can see a moment when Tsar Saltan with his Navy is going to visit an Island Buyan.
The palette includes various shades of red, brown and blue. Gold paint is used to add detail, while it also adds a definitive sparkle to the scenes. Each of the scenes are balanced and painted with an animated style.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while red lacquer completes the interior of the box. The box's exterior sides are decorated with intricate gold and aluminum ornamentation. A hinge has been fastened along the top of the composition and the box rests on a flat bottom. The work is signed and titled by the author.