Vintage Russian Palekh Lacquer Box, Little Humpbacked Horse, Hand Painted

Vintage Russian Palekh lacquer miniature box featuring a wonderfully colourful scene from The Little Humpbacked Horse (Конёк-Горбунок), the celebrated Russian fairy tale by Pyotr Yershov.

A striking rectangular lacquer box with a deep black exterior and vivid red lacquered interior. The lid is finely hand painted with a fantastical scene of brilliantly coloured red and blue horses, a figure in traditional dress, trees and stylised foliage against a dark ground.

The miniature is particularly attractive, with delicate facial detailing, fine line work and extensive gold-coloured ornamentation surrounding the central scene. A small red sun or moon face appears above the horses, adding to the wonderfully theatrical quality of the composition.

The painting is inscribed in Cyrillic along the lower edge, including “Палех” (Palekh) and “Конёк-Горбунок” (The Little Humpbacked Horse). There is also an abbreviated inscription at the lower right which appears to reference Yershov, the author of the original tale.

The box has the traditional appearance associated with Russian Palekh lacquer miniatures, with a glossy black exterior contrasting beautifully with the brilliant red interior.

Approximate dimensions:
14 cm long
7.5 cm wide
3 cm high

Condition:
Very good vintage condition overall. The painted decoration remains bright and detailed and the red interior presents particularly well. There are some minor signs of age and use consistent with a pre-owned decorative piece. Please study all photographs carefully as these form an important part of the description.

The individual artist has not been positively identified, so no specific artist attribution is being made.

A highly decorative example of Russian lacquer miniature painting and a lovely piece for a collector of Palekh art, Russian folk art or illustrated fairy tales.