Vintage Ukrainian Lacquer Box Cherkasy 1995 Hand Painted Cossack Horse Art

Vintage Ukrainian Hand-Painted Lacquer Box – Cherkasy, 1995

A particularly beautiful and highly detailed vintage Ukrainian lacquer miniature box, hand painted and dated 1995.

The lid depicts a dramatic equestrian scene with two Cossack-style figures on horseback, painted against a deep black lacquer ground. The artist has captured an impressive amount of detail, from the expressive faces and flowing horses’ manes to the bridles, clothing and fine highlights throughout the composition.

The central miniature is framed by delicate scrolling decoration in gold, red and white, with further hand-painted ornamental decoration continuing around the sides of the hexagonal box.

Of particular interest, the painting is inscribed in Cyrillic “Черкассы” (Cherkasy) and clearly dated “1995 г.”, placing the piece in Ukraine during the early post-Soviet period.

There is also an additional painted inscription which appears to read “ПАРТЕМ VI”. I have not been able to conclusively identify this as an artist’s signature, so I have deliberately not attributed the box to a particular artist.

The hinged lid opens to reveal a striking red lacquer interior with a rich red velvet-lined lower compartment.

This is a noticeably accomplished example of Eastern European lacquer miniature painting and, in my opinion, considerably more interesting than the many mass-produced souvenir boxes found from this period.

Details

• Origin: Cherkasy, Ukraine
• Date: 1995
• Style: Ukrainian / Eastern European lacquer miniature
• Subject: Mounted Cossack-style figures / horsemen
• Form: Hexagonal hinged box
• Decoration: Hand painted
• Interior: Red lacquer with red velvet lining
• Inscribed: “Черкассы” (Cherkasy), “1995 г.” and an additional unidentified inscription/signature
• Artist: Currently unidentified

Condition

Very good vintage condition overall with some light surface marks, scratches and signs of age/use visible on close inspection, particularly to the underside. There may also be minor imperfections within the hand-painted and lacquered surfaces consistent with its age and handmade nature.

Please examine all photographs carefully as they form an important part of the description and show the condition and remarkable painted detail.

A striking and unusual piece for a collector of Ukrainian art, lacquer miniatures, Cossack-related art, equestrian art or Eastern European decorative pieces.