Russian Lacquer Boxes

The most precious and fascinating element of Russian lacquer art is the hand painted miniature decoration. In this art of miniature painting there is no mechanization possible. On the contrary, every miniature is the product of an inspired process of individual creation, which lends the finished article its unique quality.

Russian Lacquer boxes are an exquisite form of highly collectible Russian folk art. These boxes are original hand-painted designs made by the four famous Russian schools which are located in the villages of Fedoskino, Palekh, Kholui, and Mstera. Each box can take many months to paint. Every line is hand-painted, sometimes using a high-intensity magnifying glass, in order to get the most accurate brush or line stroke. Each box is made out of paper mache in order to best preserve the art work. There is a very good reason for using paper mache. Paper mache is not affected by the atmospheric changes that even the best wood may succumbs to. The process for preparing the box ranges from 45 to 60 days in order to complete the drying, polishing, and lacquering processes for the highest quality of boxes. After that, a multi-month painting process begins. Every box has a story that accompanies it and many boxes are part of a series that, through the art work, tells a complete tale.