Russia - Large lacquered box, 20th century

Russia
20th century

Large Russian lacquered box, illustrated and signed on top by a representation of Pushkin's poem, the "Roussalka" siren.
It was made in the early 20th century in the village of Mstiora.

Dimensions: H 11 cm W 50 cm W 35 cm
Good general condition, small uplift on the top.
Claws at the bottom of the box

The village of Mstiora is about 100 km from the city of Vladimir, on the banks of the Kliazma. Mstiora was known to be a center of icon creations, in the tradition of the Vladimir-Suzdal school.
It
is also reported that after the Schism of 1655, many inhabitants remained faithful to the old faith and continued to execute icons according to ancient traditions. With the advent of modern
reproduction techniques, the production of icons was industrialized and the painting of icons became rarer. In 1920 artists gathered and mobilized to continue to put into practice the know-how of
the
masters of Mstiora. They work by decorating objects in wood or tinplate, or even hangings with oil paint. In 1931, five artists, members of a new group, the Proletarian Artel, began producing
lacquered miniatures on papier-mache racks. In 1937, just like their colleagues in Palekh, they were honored with prizes and medals at the Paris World Fair. Today, other artists continue to
perpetuate this tradition in Mstiora.