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

Long ago in a faraway land, there was a tsar who had a magnificent orchard, second to none. However, every night a firebird would swoop down on the tsar's best apple tree and fly away with a few golden apples. The Tsar ordered each of his three sons to catch that firebird alive and bring it to him.

The two elder brothers fell asleep while watching. The youngest son, Ivan, saw the firebird and grabbed it by the tail, but the bird managed to wriggle out of Ivan's grasp, leaving him only a bright red tail feather. The tsar then ordered his sons to find the firebird.

Ivan, assisted by a grey wolf who killed his horse and then felt sorry for him, managed to get not only the firebird but also a wonderful horse and a princess named Elena the Fair. When they came to the border of Ivan’s father’s kingdom Ivan and Elena stopped to rest. While they were sleeping, Ivan’s two older brothers, returning from their unsuccessful quest, came across the two and killed Ivan, threatening Elena to do the same to her if she told what had happened.

Ivan lay dead for thirty days until the grey wolf revived him with water of death and water of life. Ivan came to his home palace at the wedding day of Elena the Fair and Ivan's brother. The tsar asked for an explanation and Elena told him the truth. The tsar was furious and threw the elder brothers into prison. Ivan and Elena the Fair married, inherited the kingdom, and lived happily ever after.

Narrative: Copyright 2001, Andrew and Tatyana Stonebarger. Editor: Donna Richardson

Lacquer boxes from Palekh might well enjoy the highest world-wide acclaim. The lacquer art of Palekh has been called "a small miracle", a label particularly fitting since that the village specialized in icon-painting for centuries until the 1917 Russian revolution. To many collectors, Palekh boxes have the most elegant look to them. When you hold one in your hand, you know you are holding something truly special. Most often in Palekh works, innumerable fine lines of gold leaf, polished to a glow by a wolf's tooth, are applied to the ornamental border and drawing itself. A simple one-color background then provides a beautiful contrast to the gold leaf and scene itself. This background, usually black, also serves to take the observer into a new world where one's concept of time and space is left to the imagination.