Vintage Hand-Painted Fedoskino Lacquer Trinket Box – Rural Genre Scene (2004)

Details

Description

This is a vintage Russian Fedoskino lacquer box crafted from traditional papier-mâché. Unlike other Russian lacquer style centers (like Palekh … Read more This is a vintage Russian Fedoskino lacquer box crafted from traditional papier-mâché. Unlike other Russian lacquer style centers (like Palekh or Mstera) that use egg tempera and focus heavily on folklore, the Fedoskino school is famous for using multi-layered oil paints to depict realistic, sentimental scenes of Russian country and peasant life.


Item Overview & Attributions
Origin & Style: Authentic Fedoskino school (village near Moscow, Russia).

Subject Matter: A classic 19th-century style genre scene depicting a romanticized view of rural life. It features a young peasant woman resting against a fresh harvest bundle of hay while a hunter with his rifle and faithful hunting dog observes her.

Signature/Markings: Hand-signed in gold Cyrillic script directly beneath the scene reading "Федоскино" (Fedoskino).

Materials: High-grade papier-mâché base, hand-painted oil miniature, multiple protective clear lacquer coats, and fine gold leaf/powder paint detailing.

Design & Construction Highlights
The Miniature Painting: Painted in intricate detail using fine, multi-layered oil brushes. The scene features soft, natural sky gradients transitioning into twilight, typical of the luminous qualities achieved by Fedoskino master artisans.
The Border Work: The lid artwork is framed by a delicate, free-hand painted gold filigree scroll border. A secondary geometric gold band flows seamlessly along the lower base edge of the box.
Interior & Structural Details: The exterior is finished in a high-gloss black lacquer, while the inside features the traditional, vibrant solid red lacquer finish. The rectangular case includes a left-hinged or top-hinged lid and rests elegantly on bracket-style or carved corner feet.

Condition Notes
Exterior: The high-gloss black lacquer maintains a deep shine, though there is minor surface shelf wear and small lacquer flakes/chipping at the sharp corners and bottom rims, which is standard for authentic vintage papier-mâché pieces.
Painting: The central oil miniature remains clear, detailed, and uncompromised, with minimal fading to the pigments.
Hardware: The integrated hinge opens smoothly and aligns well with the base frame. See less