Show all images on one page	#001931 Title: The Scarlet Flower Artist: Pozhidaev Yuriy Size: 15.5x10.5x4 Size (inches): 6x4.25x1.5 Price : $450 SOLD!

This masterful creation was composed by the thoroughly talented Yuriy Pozhidayev from the village of Palekh. His pieces have a unique elegance about them that captures the medieval essence of the tales he frequently uses as subject matter. Color and ornamentation work wonders when applied by an experienced hand. This piece is a great example of that.
The box depicts a scene from the popular Russian fairy-tale "The Scarlet Flower", written by S.T. Aksakov. The tale is very similar to what we know today as "Beauty and the Beast." This thrilling tale tells about love of a beautiful girl and a horrible beast that afterwards will turn into a handsome prince.
The composition shows the merchant who has just come back from his trade trip and brought his daughters the presents. The older sisters try on their new expensive clothes, while the youngest one holds her desirable present - the magic scarlet flower. This beautiful flower the merchant has stolen from the garden of the ugly monster. Being caught by the monster (we can see him in the background), the merchant has become the monster's eternal captive. His only wish has been to say good-bye to his dear daughters and relatives, and then he has been obliged to return to the monster's kingdom. The merchant's old daughters are very happy to get the presents, and only the youngest one notices that her father is very sad. When she finds out the truth, she decides to become the monster's captive instead of her father.
The palette contains very bold and vivacious colors. The predominance is given to reds and greens. Gold paint is used to detail the composition throughout. More gold can be found in the dress of the youngest daughter depicted in the foreground.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while a radiant red lacquer completes the interior of the box. A hinge is fastened to the left of the composition. A lovely golden filigree pattern rolls around the lid's composition as the scene's framing. Tiny aluminum beads are used to accompany this pattern. The side decoration is a little involved. Golden filigree is supplemented with flowers painted with dark aluminum paint. These designs are found on all four sides. The box rests on four legs. It is signed, dated (2005), and titled by the artist.