Show all images on one page	#006360 Title: Queen of Shamakha Artist: Vlezko Vladimir Size: 12.5x9x2.5 Size (inches): 5x3.5x1 Price : $375 SOLD!

This traditional Palekh miniature by Vladimir Vlezko depicts a scene from the Pushkin's fairy-tale "The tale of Golden Cockerel".
From this popular tale we know that Tsar Dodon has sent his sons out to find the enemy that threatens his kingdom. Instead of enemy army, the sons find the tent of a beautiful maiden, the Shamakha Queen. Both of them fall in love with her and nobody of them wants to share such a beauty with the other. As a result of it, they command their armies to battle each other. Tsar Dadon waits for his sons' return for some time. Realizing that they may get into trouble, he goes himself to see what is wrong, and discovers his sons dead; he also encounters the beautiful Shamakha Queen and is instantly smitten with her beauty. He forgets about his boys and asks her to come back to his kingdom. However, the queen might not be anymore than an illusion as she disappears after Dadon's death at the end of the story.
The artist shows Dadon meeting the Shemakha Queen outside her tent. She is young and beautiful; her beauty is so powerful that anybody may fall in love with her at first sight and become obsessed and enslaved by her charms. Dadon stands just to the right of the tent, and his sons are lying in the middle. The warriors of the Dadon's army gathered round the tent. Their faces express different emotions: amazement at the maiden's beauty and dismay at the scene of destruction around them.
The scene is a traditional Palekh composition, with a nice landscape extending throughout the scene, and a large number of characters placed around the scene. The viewer's eye is drawn to the center, where the Shamakha Queen stands inside her tent, and then around the edges of the scene to the other groups of characters. The palette for this work is especially attractive. The artist uses an attractive combination of warmer colors for the main details, and pleasant blue and green for the background. Almost all elements of the composition are touched with the intricate detail of gold. The artist's use of gold is so fine and masterful that is deserves this special mention.
The box is made of good paper-mache made in the village of Palekh. The scene on the lid is decorated with gold beading. The sides of the box are adorned with a handsome gold ornament, with aluminum highlights. The box has a hinge above the composition and rests on a flat bottom. It is signed with the artist's name and year(2011).