Fedoskino, Russia is a small village on the bank of the Ucha River approximately one hour by car north of Moscow. It is one of four villages that paints the highly prized Russian Lacquer Boxes. The other villages are Palekh, Mstera, and Khouli. Fedoskino uses oil paints, the other villages use tempera paints. According to one of the staff members at the factory in Fedoskino, truth, beauty, and kindness are the main principles of the artists in Fedoskino. The boxes are produced for the pleasure of the people and now, we in America, are able to enjoy the pleasure and the rich art work these boxes bring.

The expensive boxes are made of papier-mache. This is an art unto itself. The box is formed with paper and glue, then dipped in a linseed oil solution. The box is then sanded and primed. After the primer has dried, the painting process begins. About 20 coats of paint and lacquer are applied to the box before the painting of the subject begins (red on the inside and black on the outside). The artist draws the outline on the box and begins painting (the artist must have five years of college and be an apprentice for ten years before he attains "artist" status at the factory).

Most painting is done under a large magnifying glass with brushes made from squirrel hair (the more intricate strokes require a brush made with one or two hairs). The boxes are highly lacquered after the art work is finished. They are then dried in special ovens. The time to create one of these masterpieces can be up to three months depending on the scene and size of the box. The artist signs the box in the lower right corner (always using the Cyrillic alphabet), the name of the village goes in the left corner, and the name of the scene or other information goes in the lower center of the box. Many boxes share the same scene, but each is unique with the vision coming from the mind and soul of the artist. Today, there are numerous sources of information about Russian Lacquer Boxes, the most widely known being Lucy Maxym's books, Russian Lacquer, Legends and Fairy Tales. Enjoy your treasure.