Snegurochka, The Snow Maiden
Fedoskino, Russia, 1987
Lacquered box on pip feet with hinged cover, the box overall black, the interior lacquered red, the cover painted in oils with silver and gold leaf and metallic powders. The box 6.3 x 21.0 x 14.0 cm (2-1/2 x 8-1/4 x 5-1/2 in.) overall, exclusive of pip feet on bottom. The painting inscribed in Cyrillic, “Fedoskino - 1987,” lower left, and signed “Tretiakov” lower right. Condition: Slight crazing and scratches on surface of painting, a 5 mm scratch below face of foreground child right, several bare chips on edges of box, overall in very good condition notwithstanding the edge chipping, the painting overall very fine.
This box is from the “Golden Age” of the 20th century resurgence of Fedoskino. The workmanship includes silver and gold leaf and metallic powders over translucent oil paint. Our example was painted by Viktor Tretiakov after the original design by the master Gennadi Larishev (see Malakhov, op. cit., pl. 123). It depicts Snegurochka, granddaughter of Father Frost, built out of snow by an elderly peasant couple as their only child, as told in the peculiarly Fedoskino version of a classic folk tale. Here she takes life, inspiring the vivid reactions of her parents and the villagers.
Provenance: Estate of Jack J. Dreyfus, Jr.
Literature:
Malakhov, Nikolai, Fedoskino [trans. Tatyana Butkova], Moscow,
1990, plate 123.
Maxym, Lucy, Russian Lacquer, Legends and Fairy Tales, vol. 1,
Hicksville, N.Y., 1981, pp. 51-54.
View more images of this item
Price: $500
Inquiries: mail@mobysnewt.com
<< Previous |
Next>> |