Snowmaiden

This pencil-box shaped box was painted by the talented Palekh artist Ludmila Gelisheva. It shows some scenes from the popular Russian fairy-tale "The Snowmaiden". In the center of the composition the artist depicts the Snowmaiden. To the left and to the right from a center the villagers are having traditional winter entertainment-skate on a lake.
The work is a good example of intricate Palekh art. The greens and blues become electric, the reds and oranges passionate. Hair thin gold and silver accents have been used extensively throughout the composition adding rich luminescence and delicacy to the piece. The Snowmaiden's figure is painted to look transparent to remind the fact that she is the daughter of nature.
The box's exterior is decorated with intricate gold leafy patterns.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while red lacquer completes the interior of the work. The lid is hinged from the top, and the box rests flat. The artist wrote her name, the year of 2012 and the village name of Palekh along the bottom of the composition in gold paint.