Vintage Russian Kholuy Lacquer Box Hand Painted Miniature Kholuyskaya Sloboda Signed

A beautiful vintage Russian lacquer miniature box from Kholuy, one of the celebrated traditional centres of Russian lacquer miniature painting.

The lid features a wonderfully atmospheric architectural landscape depicting the historic settlement of Kholuy, with churches, houses, trees and rolling countryside rendered in rich reds, greens, ochres and gold tones against the traditional black lacquer ground.

The inscription beneath the miniature appears to read “Холуйская слобода” (Kholuyskaya Sloboda), approximately translating as “The Settlement of Kholuy.” The box is also marked “Холуй” (Kholuy) and bears an artist’s inscription/signature to the lower right.

The miniature appears to be hand painted, with individually worked details visible throughout the buildings, landscape and decorative border.

I believe this is a Soviet-period piece, probably dating from circa 1960s-1980s, although the precise artist and date have not been established.

Dimensions:
9.5 cm long × 6.5 cm wide × 3.5 cm high
Approximately 3¾ × 2½ × 1⅜ inches

Condition:
Vintage condition with considerable age-related craquelure/crazing to the lacquer surface. There are areas of paint/lacquer loss within the miniature, most noticeably towards the lower-right area of the scene, together with smaller surface marks and wear around the box.

Despite this, the miniature remains extremely attractive and the ageing gives the piece considerable character. The condition has been taken into account when pricing.

Please study all photographs carefully as they form an important part of the description.

A lovely decorative and collectable example of the Russian lacquer miniature tradition, particularly appealing to collectors of Kholuy, Palekh, Mstera and Fedoskino lacquerware.