Description:
This box has been painted by one of the leading Fedoskino artists, Vladimir Monashov. Here the artist has chosen to depict a beautiful view of the Pashkov's House. This magnificent palace was built in 1786 by the outstanding Russian architect, Vasily Bazhenov by the order of rich landowner, Pashkov. The palace fronts the Borovitsky Gates of the Moscow Kremlin. In 1839 this building was bought by the Russian state. In 1861 in the Pashkov's House the Rumyantsev Museum was arranged. In 1925 the museum was closed, and the State Lenin Library was arranged in this building. Later the State Lenin Library was renamed into the State Russian library that is the largest library in Europe now.
The depicted scene is a copy of an old photo. It is painted in the realistic style using green, blue and grey tones of oils. The application of mother-of-pearl as an inlay as well as gold paint and aluminum powder cause the scene to come alive with visual acuity. Mother-of-pearl inlays can be found in the architecture of the Pashkov's House and in the church painted from the left of it as well as in the trees painted in the central part of the composition. Gold paint is used to create brilliance of the roofs and cupolas whereas aluminum powder helps to highlight the architecture, the trees, and the road. The scene is framed with a thin gold line and the box's sides are decorated with two parallel gold lines.
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 is hinged from the top of the scene, and the box rests on four legs. The work is signed with the artist's name, and the village of Fedoskino.