A crowded Russian market is presented in this large work from Mstera artist I. Zaitseva. The artist must have spent an extraordinary amount of time painting the scene, with its depiction of 46 characters, three horses, a couple roosters, one cat, and one bear. Simply by painting so many people, the artist has perfectly evoked the bustling atmosphere of the outdoor market, a meeting place for Russians in the rural countryside. The characters range from bearded old men to a young innocent maiden in the center who is being wooed by a nice young man into buying a shawl, and maybe more. There is probably a story to be told for each of the groupings of people, and the viewer might find it interesting to figure out just what each one is about. For instance, there is undoubtedly a story for the scene at the left with the bear. And maybe you can weave a tale more involved than what I see - a bear hug! (Hey, I had to get that in there!). All the characters and animals, as well as their surrondings, are painted vividly in traditional Mstera style. The scene is framed by a superb gold ornament and there is an even more elaborate one on the sides. The box is made out of high quality papier mache and stands on four small legs. It has a hinge at the top. The box is signed with the name of the artist, village and title. An exceptional box from Mstera!

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.)