The Snowmaiden kneels beside Lel in a forest clearing. Her pale frame droops in the spring sunshine as she begs Lel to play her favorite song one last time. Her icy body was never meant to withstand the warmth of a bright spring day, let alone the fiery touch of passion and gentle lapping heat of love. The Spirit of the Woods stands to one side, saddened that the maiden would not heed his advice and avoid love to save herself. The couple's friends from the village look on in sorrow. The scene is beautifully painted by V. Shalaev in rich, icy blues and creamy olive, with rust accents. The figures are superbly rendered, with a unique, delicate crosshatching technique maintaining the soft quality of skin while creating rich shadows. The scene is framed with an elaborate golden border against bright cobalt blue, save the upper right corner with a deep green background, which contrasts with the scene, creating a sense of depth. This box is made of high quality papier mache and is signed on the lid with the title, artist's name, village, and date of completion. There is a hinge at the top, and the interior is red lacquer. It stands on four round legs. Spectacular!--BOX1006

Lacquerbox Condition Ratings

Surface Condition (exterior)	Surface Condition (interior/bottom)	Box Materials and Soundness	Hinge and Lid Placement	Signature	Total Rating	Mother-of-pearl Condition
9.5	9.5	10.0	10.0	10.0	49	N/A

(Each category rated 1-10. For low scores, look for explanation in the description of box. In general, any total rating over 40 is excellent. For more information on rating system, click here.)