Palekh is a form of Russian folk painting in tempera and gold on black lacquer objects made from papier-mache or wood. Usually the subjects for the miniature painting were taken from Russian fairy tales or legends, but at present Palekh masters of painting on lacquer depict landscapes or stylized ornamentation. This particular box shows the Spit of Vasilievsky Island, which in the painting resembles some fairy-tale palace, though its well-known contours remind us that we are looking at St Petersburg.

Papier-mache, lacquer, painting.
3 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (8.8 x 8.8 cm).