This shimmering box depicts a scene from a little know folk tale involving a hungry fox, a merchant woman on her way to market, and a sleigh full of fish. The fox has disguised herself in human clothing while wandering the frozen countryside in search of food. On finding a merchant woman hauling a sleigh full of fish to market, she could not resist leaping on and scattering the fish behind her to gather on her way home. The scene is nicely painted in bright colors with lots of sparkling golden accents. The body of the box is black lacquer with rich green accents. This box is made of high quality papier mache and is signed on the lid with the artist's name (V. Bolshakova), village, and date of completion. There is a hinge at the top, and the interior is red lacquer. It rests on four round legs.--BOX1515

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.)