Vintage Russian Mstera Lacquer Box – Hand Painted Troika – Signed Papier Mâché Miniature

A beautiful vintage Russian lacquer miniature box from the celebrated Mstera tradition, featuring a wonderfully colourful hand-painted Troika scene.

The miniature depicts the traditional Russian troika, a team of three horses pulling a sleigh, dramatically rendered in rich reds, creams and ochres against a black ground, with swirling turquoise-blue decorative forms creating a particularly lively composition.

Along the lower edge of the miniature are Cyrillic inscriptions. The left inscription reads МСТЕРА (Mstera), identifying the Russian lacquer-painting centre, while the central inscription reads ТРОЙКА (Troika), identifying the subject. An artist’s monogram/signature also appears at the lower right.

Mstera became one of the principal centres of Russian lacquer miniature painting, developing from the area’s earlier icon-painting tradition. Its lacquer miniatures are particularly associated with fine linear painting, vivid colour and elaborate decorative detailing.

The box appears to be of traditional lacquered papier-mâché construction, with a glossy black exterior and characteristic vivid red lacquered interior. The miniature appears hand painted, with individual brushwork, fine outlining and highlights visible on close examination. The surrounding scrolling ornament has been applied in a gold-coloured finish.

Details

Origin: Mstera, Russia
Subject: Troika / traditional Russian three-horse team
Material: Lacquered papier-mâché
Decoration: Hand-painted miniature with gold-coloured ornamental detailing
Interior: Red lacquer
Dimensions: approximately 9 cm × 6 cm × 3.7 cm
Date: believed to be late 20th century, probably circa 1970s–1990s
Signed/marked: Cyrillic Mstera and Troika inscriptions with artist’s monogram/signature

Condition

Good vintage condition with age-related surface wear, small marks and minor areas of finish/lacquer wear, particularly around some edges and the base. The red interior remains bright and the hinged lid opens as intended.

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

A very attractive example of Russian miniature lacquer painting, combining the classic Troika subject with the distinctive colourful and highly decorative character associated with Mstera work. An appealing piece for a collector of Russian folk art, Soviet-era decorative art or traditional lacquer miniatures.