Sivka-Burka

This spectacular composition was painted by a well-known Mstera artist Alexander Dogadin.
Composition is showing several scenes from 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.
The color pallet using by Dogadin's is extremely pleasing to the eye. Various shades of blue, yellow and red are dominate here. Contrast is spectacular!
The decoration of the sides is marvelous! It has a form of intricately arranged flowers and foliage. Its coloring alternates between red and gold.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while red lacquer completes the interior of the work. The lid is hinged from the left and the box rests on four legs. The artist wrote his name, the title and the village name of Mstera at the bottom of the composition in gold paint.