A Tsar orders his three sons to fire arrows into the air, and whoever picks up the arrow will become that son's bride. The oldest son's arrow is found by a noblewoman, and the second son's is picked up by a wealthy merchant's daughter. The youngest son, Ivan, is dismayed to see that his arrow has been discovered by a frog, but he is true to his word and takes the frog home to be his bride. (It works out well in the end, however, since the frog turns out to be a beautiful princess in disguise). This little box shows the scene where Ivan finds his arrow in the possession of the frog, who is wearing a little gold crown. There is a striking contrast between the spring-green in Ivan's costume and the frog, and the warm red and orange in the background. Gold paint highlights the landscape, creating dramatic swirls in the watter and leaves and needles on the trees, and it also enhances Ivan's costume and the Frog's crown and skin. The box is well-crafted from orgalite (a good-quality fiber-board material). It is signed with the title of the piece and the artist's name (Kudryavtseva), and is done in Palekh style. We have several of these boxes, hand drawn by different artists, and each is very similar to the one pictured here.

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	9.0	10.0	10.0	48	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.)