by (an unknown Russian maker)
Hand-painted Trinket or Jewellery Box
circa 1930s (?)
Furling like the trailing tendrils of Firebird feathers, the fine filigree work lining the barrel belly of this box enhances beautifully its colourful top. Equating the balance between itself and the heavy blossom of blues, yellows and reds that it supports like a cap, the barrel shape perhaps forms this piece’s most defining quality. Like the irreplaceable stem to a flower head, it proudly lifts and steadies its so-called crown with a natural elegance inherent in Russian creations as this. Poised on three dainty feet, it embodies a character that seems to squat un-imposingly in its corner of chosen comfort, asking for little attention and only shyly consenting to being inspected by gentle hands. And with its additional red-velvet inner lining, it seems even to contain a tender heart of its own - as soft as a petal, as red as one’s true love of the past.
