E. T. A. Hoffman's tale of the nutcracker, which was the basis for Tchaikovsky's ballet, unfolds on this large box from Palekh. The boughs of the enormous Christmas tree wind over the lid, separating each scene. The story begins with Clara throwing her shoe at the mouse king. Her godfather Drosselmeier then tells her why the mouse king and nutcracker are enemies. It seems a king and queen were having a party, and the queen decided to cook the food herself. The mouse queen, mother to the mouse king who was the victim of Clara's slipper, asked nicely for a scrap of meat, but her relatives swarmed the queen in search of food. When the royal couple set out mouse traps, the mouse queen cursed their daughter. Luckily, the court astronomer read the omens and found that his nephew could break the curse. The mouse queen was so enraged when the spell was broken that she ran beneath the young man's foot and was trampled. She cursed the young man to become a nutcracker with her last breath, and her son swore revenge. Luckily, Clara's love has broken the spell. The scene is beautifully painted in vivid colors, with sparkling golden accents. Tiny details draw the eye, while using the original tale as inspiration adds a fresh feeling to a favorite theme. The story continues on the sides of the box, with scenes of the mice and nutcracker. This box is made of high quality papier mache and is signed on its base with the title, artist's name (A. Chigareva), village, and date of completion. There is no hinge, and the interior is red lacquer. It rests on four round legs.--BOX1027

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.)