A spectacular lacquer box hand painted by the Fedoskino Artist Sergey Sergeevich Chistov. The work features the Famous Pushkin fairytale of " The Golden Cockeral".
Once upon a time, there was a proud and warlike tsar named Dadon. When he was young, he had a penchant for invading and destroying neighboring lands. As he grew older and his strength began to fail, Dadon wanted peace, but now his enemies sensed his weakness and it was their turn to wage war on him. For advance warning of invasion, he asked for help from his court magician, who gave him a present--a golden cockerel. If any enemies approached, the cockerel, sitting on a spire atop Dadon's palace, would see them and crow loudly in warning. The tsar was very pleased with the magician's gift and promised to grant him any reward he desired.
For two years Dadon's people lived in peace as the cockerel did its job, crowing whenever there was danger. One day the golden cockerel cried out more loudly than ever before and Dadon sent a great army, under the command of his elder son, to seek out the danger. Nothing was heard of them for eight days. The cockerel cried out again and the tsar sent out more troops, led by his younger son. There was no news again for eight days and then the cockerel cried out for a third time.
Tsar Dadon, with a small contingent of his best warriors, decided to go investigate for himself. After several days' march, he came upon a terrible battlefield where both of his armies and his two sons lay slain. At the edge of the battlefield he saw a tent with a woman of stunning beauty inside. Her name was the Queen of Shamakha. She invited him into the tent with a bewitching smile, and Dadon stayed with her for a week. Madly smitten with love, he then took her back home to his kingdom.
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