Show all images on one page	#005501 Title: Alice in Wonderland Artist: Smirnova Vera Size: 19x25x5.5 Size (inches): 7.5x9.75x2.25 Price : $2100 SOLD!

This suberb box is painted by well-known artist Vera Smirnova. Smirnova is a Palekh artist who is at the Top of her field now. Many artists are trying to emulate her works. This work shows that her skill with the tempera medium is immense, by her depiction of the characters and their faces. It is rare that an artist has such a good blend of skill, talent, and technical knowledge, which she excels at with every work she paints.
Here the artist has drawn various characters from Lewis Carroll's classic tale "Alice in Wonderland". In the middle of the composition we can see Alice at the table holding Flamingo. The artist has drawn the tea party in the Hat's house. In the right upper corner we can see a Rabbit. Above her head the Cheshire Cat lies on a branch of the big tree.In the upper side we can see the Caterpillar who smokes the hookah while the right bottom corner depicts the Mouse crossing the pool of Alice's tears. In the left bottom corner we can see the violent Queen of Hearts who orders to chop off the three card gardeners' heads to her soldiers.
The composition is an utter delight. The palette is diverse and holds a wide range of colors. Smirnova is able to tightly compose the characters to give the scene maximum efficiency, without looking crowded or bunched up. She works in details with gold and aluminum paint that are fine and make the scene radiate with a tremendous glow. These lines are so thin that they give the characters and their surroundings the life-like clarity within this stylized world. The box's sides are adorned with a rich gold leafy pattern on which small additional subjects are painted.
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. A hinge is fastened to the left of the scene, and the box rests on four legs. The work is signed with the artist's name, Palekh, and the year of 2008.
Excellent collector's piece!