Matchmakers

This splendid box is a creation of Dobrinskaya Irina from the village of Mstera. Dobrinskaya was a student of famous Mstera master Vladimir Shalaev.
The scene is showing us the matchmakers that are coming to maiden's house, to make an offer of marriage to her father. Once it is happend, and the father will approve the choice, than the marriage will take a place soon. On the scene we can see that one of the girls with the buckets (left corner) is sit on the snow and the buckets are on the snow. This is a bad luck if somebody crosses the road in front of the matchmakers, so probably father has pushed this girl from a road... 
The drawing is rich of details. The artist pays great attention to the expressive faces of all characters , and to their costumes.
The box has an ornamentation on the lid and on the sides of the box.It is mostly paint in gold, but with addition of silver paint.
The box is made out of paper-mache. Red lacquer covers the interior of the box and black lacquer is used to paint the exterior. The box has a hinge from the top of the scene and rests on four legs. The artist has written his name, the title and Mstera.