Against a backdrop of a majestic Russian cathedral., a young woman places a blindfold on her friend, who holds a shoe in her hand. Three others look on. We are not entirely sure what is going on here, but we think that it has something to do with a fortune telling ritual and the prospects of finding husbands. All of the women are wearing nice kokoshniks, too, an indication that they are indeed available. Fedoskino artist Maria Vagner created this delightful scene using her rich jewel tone colors and signature style. Vagner enhanced the brocade pattern of their sarafans with gold leaf, and carefully inlayed a small piece of mother of pearl in part of the sky, both of which bring additional luminosity to the scene. The sides and bottom show a speckling of silver and green, painted against a dark base color. A small sprig of purple flowers has been painted on the bottom, as well. The interior is red. The box is made out of high quality papier mache and has a hinge. Signed with the name of the artist and village. Another delightful scene from this talented big name lacquer artist.

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	9.5

(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.)