Russian lacquered boxes are made by a traditional and painstaking method which originated in the making of religious icons. The boxes are made from papier mache which is treated with linseed oil and 'slow cooked' in an oven for several weeks. They are then turned, trimmed and sanded, then three or four base coats of lacquer are applied. Then the real work begins as the artist paints his or her chosen subject by hand onto the surface, often using brushes of a single hair. Gold leaf and mother of pearl may also be used to enhance the subject of the work. The final lacquering and polishing takes place to complete the box - the whole process sometimes taking six months to complete.
This is a very brief summary of the process, much more information can be found by following the links included here.
The boxes all come from one of four villages, Fedoskino, Kholui, Mstera and Palekh, though there are many copies and fakes of which the collector must be wary. The quality of the genuine boxes is unmistakable, however, and all true boxes are signed by the artist and state the village from which they originate. Information about the work of the four villages can be found via the links on the left of this page.
