Fall in the Village

This box is a splendid creation of Nina Matyushkina from the village of Palekh.
She was born in 1962 in the town of Yuzha, Ivanovo Region where she resides at present. In 1987 she finished the Palekh Art School. Her teachers were A.V. Gordeev and A.V. Borunov. More than once Matushkina was awarded with diplomas for her successful work in the field of lacquer miniature painting. Her works are kept in private collections.
The work is called "An Autumn Day in the Village", and shows villagers enjoying a warm autumn day. In the center of the composition we can see a lad playing the harmonica. From the left of him a loving couple walks along the embankment of the river while from the right of him a peasant is in a boat.
The scene is painted in the traditional Palekh style. Various details are enhanced with gold and aluminum paint. Gold and aluminum is also used to decorate the box's exterior with intricate patterns.
The box is made out of paper-mache. Black lacquer covers the exterior and red lacquer covers the interior of the box. The lid is hinged from the top of the scene, and the box rests on four legs. The work is signed with the artist's name, Palekh, and the year of 2003.