Show all images on one page	#002469 Title: Pergola of Tales Artist: Demidova Lidiya Alexandrovna(born 1927) Size: 20.5x12.5x4.5 Size (inches): 8x5x1.75 Price : $795 SOLD!

Lidia Demidova of Mstera is the artist who created this work called "Pergola of Tales". In the middle of the box we can see Alexander Pushkin sitting inside the pergola and writing his thrilling tales. His figure is also drawn in the left and right bottom corners. The rest part of entire composition is filled with various characters created by the great Russian poet. In the left upper corner we can see the Shemakha Queen coming out of her eastern tent, and Tsar Dadon proposing marriage to her ("The Tale of Golden Cockerel"). While in the right upper corner the old fisherman and his wife sit inside their hovel near a cracked washtub (it's the very beginning of "The Tale of Old Fisherman and Magic Fish"). At the bottom of the composition there are characters from "The Tale of Sleeping Princess and Seven Bogatyrs" - the wicked Queen with her magic mirror, the Queen's servant holding the poisoned apple, and the dog trying to protect the Sleeping Princess who isn't depicted here. Just above Pushkin's arm-chair there are thirty-three knights and the Princess Swan from "The Tale of Tsar Saltan".
Demidova's painting technique is very interesting; it seems that this work is painted in water-colors instead of tempera paints. This creates a very beautiful visual effect. The palette is traditional for Mstera Art School; it is filled with blues, greens, reds, browns and oranges.
The scene is framed with a gold line. The edges of the lid are decorated with gold floral patterns. The same gold floral patterns but a little bigger in size can be found wrapping around the box's sides.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while red lacquer completes its the interior. A hinge has been fastened to the top of the composition and the box rests on four small rounded legs. The titled, the word 'Mstera' and the artist's name can be found just under the composition. Beautifully done!