Scarlet Flower/Beauty and a Beast

This traditional Kholui box was painted by a talented artist Lubov Kiseleova. It depicts a scene from the popular Russian fairy-tale "The Scarlet Flower", written by S.T. Aksakov. The tale is very similar to what we know today as "Beauty and the Beast." This thrilling tale tells about love of a beautiful girl and a horrible beast that afterwards will turn into a handsome prince.
The father of three sisters is going to a trip and asking the sisters what to bring them from a trip. Here the artist displays filigree skill in decorating small objects with amazing precision. Each figure of the composition is richly detailed with brilliant gold paints. 
Simple golden beads ornamentation frames the composition, and and very complex ornamentation wraps around the box's sides.
The box is made out of paper-mache. Black lacquer covers the exterior and red lacquer covers the interior of the box. The box isn't hinge and rests on four small round legs. The work is signed with the artist's name, the village of Kholui and the title on the interior's lid of the box and below the composition.