The Forest Spirit

Yevgenia Shatokhina of Palekh is the artist who painted this beautiful box. Yevgenia (or "Zhenya" for short, as she signs the piece)has a beautiful style that is classic Palekh, but at the same time exhibits a unique flair.
The box shows the Forest Spirit sitting on the stump, and thinking about something. To convey the feeling of a forest landscape the artist uses natural colors including green, brown, olive, and blue. She is able to paint a tremendous amount of detail and action into the composition, which is a result of a steady hand and a delicate artistic touch. Most of the fine detail is added with the use of gold paint that touches every feature of the scene. Aluminum paint is also used here but in very minimal amounts. 
The edges of the lid and the box's sides are adorned with gold leafy patterns that bloom with silver flowers.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the box while red lacquer completes the interior of the work. The lid isn't hinged, and the box rests on a flat bottom. The work is signed with the artist's name, the title, the year of 2004 and the village of Palekh.