Product Overview
Teplova Alevtina is the gifted artist who painted the scene on this box.
Here we see the pristine island preserve of Kizhi, which is situated on Lake Onega in the northern part of European Russia. The island is a living museum, home to one of the most famous Russian cathedrals, the Transfiguration Cathedral. The cathedral, which is the centerpiece of this composition, was built in 1714 and does not have one nail in its entire structure. Legend has it that it was built by a master carpenter, and the only tool he used in building the structure was an ax. After completing the structure he proclaimed that he would never be able to build a more perfect structure, and in the shadow of his splendid masterpiece, tossed the ax into the lake.
Full of waterways and frozen soil the Russian North represents the rugged and wild side of Russian culture and history. Here a flock of swans flies over the breathtaking Transfiguration Cathedral, angels from heaven, gliding over the pristine landscape.
The artist has used a rare pallet of mellow earth tones: mint green, antique white and golden brown. Gold paint is used to highlight leaves of the trees, the plants in the foreground and, of course,the feathers in the wings of these beautiful swans. Gold also decorates the walls of the Cathedral.
Gold and aluminum filigree patterns are used to frame the composition, and also to decorate the sides of the box. The box is constructed out of high-grade paper-mache. The lid is hinged on top. The exterior of the piece is painted with black lacquer and the interior is painted with red lacquer. Approx. 6"x 4.5"x1.5".
