The rarely done fairy tale "The Three Sons-in-Law" is presented on this small oval box by Palekh artist V. Chibisova. The basis gist of the tale is that the daughters of an old man are wedded off to "The Moon", "The Sun" and "The Wind" because of the help that they give him. In time, the man visits his daughters, and is again helped by little miracles from the three Sons-in-Law. But when he tries to duplicate the miracles at home, he is quite unsuccessful. Here the talented Chibisova shows us the three sons-in-law with the sun in the bottom left corner, the moon in the upper right and the wind, symbolized as a handsome winged man, in the center holding one of the daughters in his arms. The composition is filled with vivid colors, beautiful images, rich gold, and a high level of intricacy. A gold ornament with blue fill decorates the side and bottom of the box. There is a hinge at the left and a red interior. The box is made out of high quality papier mache and is signed under the lid with the name of the artist, village, year and title. Exquisite!

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.)