The box is signed by the artist and comes with the Certificate of Authenticity.

Exceptional work of art -- wonderful, immaculate details!

Once upon a time there lived an old man and woman who had always regretted that they did not have any children. One lovely winter day they made a girl out of snow. The snow maiden came alive and became the daughter they never had. They called her Snegurochka. She was very beautiful and sweet. But when spring began to warm the land, the girl became quite depressed. When the summer arrived, she became even more sad. Once she went to the wood with a group of village girls to pick flowers. She had a good time for the first time since the winter. It began to get dark and the other girls made a fire and began playfully jumping over the flames. Snegurochka also jumped, but suddenly melted and evaporated into a white cloud.

Narrative: Andrew and Tatyana Stonebarger. Editor: Donna Richardson

Artists from Fedoskino, the birthplace of Russian lacquer miniatures, use a more realistic style of painting than the other villages. They also use oil paints for their drawings instead of the egg-based temperas. Three to four layers of the oil paints, along with seven coats of lacquer, are applied to each box before it is completed. This layering brings out a radiant quality in the drawings and the colors seem to emanate from within. Sometimes, an underlay of gold leaf or mother of pearl enhances this radiance and adds a lovely iridescence of its own.