Tom Sawyer (dual-sided purse-shape box)

This dual-sided purse-shaped box was paintedby a talented artist Dmitry Bonokin from the village of Palekh. The subject of the work is based on the popular novel "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" written in 1876 by the great American writer, Mark Twain. Both sides of the box and its lid demonstrate adventures of a mischievous boy, Tom Sawyer, and his friend, Huckleberry Finn. Here we can see such recognizable scenes when Tom became the leader of an army and his date with Becky Thatcher.
Each scene is filled with a great amount of minor details that help to imagine vividly the episodes of the novel. Gold and aluminum are used to detail and highlight virtually every portion of the composition. This enhances the already lustrous palette and makes the scene sparkle from within. Gold is also used to frame the painting with attractive patterns.
The box is constructed out of paper-mache. Black lacquer covers the exterior and red lacquer covers the interior of the box. The two sides of the box are hinged in the middle. The work is signed with the artist's name, Palekh, the title and the year of 2012.