This lovely lacquer box by Maria Wagner has the people gathered to celebrate, in costumes and plenty of drink and food.  The color of the dress and the amount of detail gives this scene as a window into the past of Russian culture.  Size: 4 by 5.5 by 1 inch. 

  Maria was born in 1951. Working at the Fedoskino factory since 1970. This well established Fedoskino artist has made a name for herself with her unique style and distinctive color palette. She already has several original compositions in different Museums. Her distinctive style comes from combining bright, jewel tone colors of reds, blues, greens, aqua, and purple in one composition. The themes of her boxes usually depict scenes of happy people dressed in colorful, richly ornate folk costumes. Wagner makes her characters glow by applying gold leaf with a lacquer finish before painting over it with a combination of oil paint and crushed mother of pearl. Wagner's figures are always sketched with amazing detail and correct proportions. One can always recognize a Wagner character by their large expressive eyes and cherry drop mouth, which make them so appealing to look at. Her characters have a look of peace and contentment, which we all aspire to achieve, and perhaps this could explain the popularity of her pieces. As a member of Union of Artists Maria has her personal sign.
Maria lives and work in village of Marfino, near Fedoskino.
Size: 4.0 by 5.5  by 1.0 inches.