The late Palekh artist Alekei Shelev did this tiny work showing parts of the story "The Tale of the Dead Princess". On the lid the princess is befriended by seven brave knights. Along the sides are four different miniature drawings. On one of the short sides, the old woman who gives the princess the tainted apple, while on the three other sides, Prince Elisej is depicted asking the Sun, the Moon and the Wind where the princess is, as he searches for her frantically.
While Prince Elisei may have been in a hurry to find his sweetheart, the artist here was anything but hurried when he did this work. Each scene is artfully and delicately painted with extreme detail. Fine lines of gold leaf accent objects in each drawing. A very lovely gold ornament separates each scenes on the side. The box is made out of high quality papier mache. It is unhinged, the interior is red. Signed with the name of the artist, village and year (1982). The box was done painted about 30 years ago and is still in great condition throughout.

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.)