Ivan Tsarevich gazes in amazement at the Elena the Fair, or rather, an astonishing double of the beautiful princess. The real Elena sneaks to her window at the behest of the Grey Wolf; Ivan's trusted friend and adviser, to escape with the young prince. To ensure the couple a clean getaway, the enchanted Wolf takes the form of Elena to keep her father from getting worried and sending out guards. (To read the whole fairy tale, click here.) The scene is beautifully painted in Vagner's unmistakable mixture of fairy tale style realism and rich colors. The wolf-princess grins slyly at the viewer, as though letting them in on the joke. The nearby peacock adds a sense of movement, as well as recalling the magical firebird, whose apple stealing began Ivan's adventure. A pair of golden apples in Ivan's hand, and a fruit laden bough on the flush base of the box also recall the tale's beginning. The scene is beautifully painted, with great care and attention to detail. The body of the box shimmers with a soft marbled design of gold and silver. This box is made of high quality papier mache and is signed on the lid with the artist's name (M. Vagner) and village. There is a hinge at the top, and the interior is red lacquer.--BOX1512

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.)