Vintage Russian Hand Painted Lacquer Box Firebird Ivan Tsarevich Folk Art

A striking vintage Russian lacquer box featuring a colourful hand-painted scene inspired by the traditional Russian tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the magical Firebird.

The rectangular box has a glossy black lacquered exterior with a vivid red lacquer interior. The lid is richly decorated with the spectacular golden-orange Firebird sweeping across the composition above a traditionally dressed figure, surrounded by flowers, foliage and extensive gold-painted detailing.

Particularly attractive details include the elaborate scrolling gold border, individually painted flowers and foliage, and the colourful eye-like markings within the Firebird’s magnificent tail feathers.

The decoration shows the small variations and brushwork associated with hand-applied painting and detailing. Stylistically it belongs to the tradition of Russian lacquer miniature and folk-art boxes associated with centres such as Palekh, Mstyora and Kholuy, although this example is unsigned and I am therefore not attributing it to a particular school or artist.

The interior is finished in traditional bright red lacquer and retains an old Russian retail/inventory barcode label inside the lid. I have deliberately left this label in place rather than risk disturbing the original lacquer.

Dimensions
12.5 cm × 9.5 cm × 3 cm

Condition
Vintage condition with minor signs of age and handling consistent with a previously owned decorative piece. Please study the photographs carefully as they form an important part of the description.

A particularly vibrant example of Russian decorative folk art and a wonderful piece for a collection of lacquer miniatures, Russian art or traditional fairy-tale objects.