Tale of a Hump-backed pony

This exceptionally detailed piece of Russian lacquer artistry was painted by the talented Khromov Eugeniy from the village of Kholuy. The composition shows a scene from the popular Russian fairy-tale "The Humpbacked Pony".
Here we can see the main character of the tale, Ivan, and his faithful friend the Humpbacked Pony. Ivan with the beautiful Tsar-Maiden are riding on Pony. In the background the artist depicts the buildings of the Tsar's Palace.
In the end of the tale the Tsar-Maiden has ordered the old tsar to dip himself in three cauldrons of boiling water, boiling milk and ice cold water in order to regain his youth. But the coward tsar, in his turn, has ordered Ivan to be the first to jump into the boiling water. Having undergone this severe trial, Ivan emerges from the last cauldron as an extremely handsome young man, whereas the old tsar, who also decides to test the magic, is boiled alive.
The infinite details within the facial expressions of the characters and the setting are the perfect examples of the artist's skills.
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 box, the exterior is black lacquered. The edges of the lid and its sides are ornamented with intricate gold and aluminum patterns. The box has a hingeto the left from the scene and rests on two platforms. The box is signed with the artist's name, village, title on the lids interior.