Sivka-Burka

It is an original work that contains a scene from the Russian fairy-tale "Sivka-Burka". It tells about the adventures of the youngest of three brothers, Ivan the Simpleton. For his courage and easy temper, his father presented him the magic horse, Sivka-Burka that was ready to serve Ivan. With the help of Sivka-Burka's magic powers, Ivan managed to jump to the highest tower in the king's palace, where the king's daughter was standing, and take the ring she was holding. This made him the victor in a contest, and for performing this feat he was allowed to marry the tsar's daughter.
To paint this work, the Vlasovs has used the traditional Kholui school palette. The amount of gold highlighting on this piece is astonishing! Each element is nearly engulfed in shimmering decoration, with the color beneath coming through. It is hard to conceive the amount of brushstrokes, and the amount of blending and layering the artist has made to make the scene look perfect.
The box's exterior is decorated with luxuriant gold and silver filigree decoration.
The box is made out of paper-mache. Black lacquer covers the exterior and red lacquer covers the interior of the box. A hinge has been fastened to the top of the scene, and the box rests on the four round legs.
The work is signed with the artist's name, Kholui, and the title at the bottom of the scene. The same inscription can be on the lid's interior, with an additional confirmation that it is the original author's work, a list of the materials, and the year of 2018.