A LARGE SOVIET AGITLAK KEEPSAKE BOX OF YEDUT S PESNEI MOLODIYE KAZAKI, A. KOTUKHINA, PALEKH, 1950
of a rectangular shape, the hinged cover depicting an epic scene of the Don Cossacks heading off to join the forces of the Red Army, three brave warriors on horses are shown in the foreground, they are calling their troops for battle with trumpets, behind them, legions of determined Cossacks are leaving their homes and waving farewell to their women, an ornate gilded border runs around the cover of the box, an elaborately painted wide gilded floral garland runs around the body of the box, with further depiction of a Cossack on horseback in the center of the longer sides, a slightly wider base is raised on four feet, crimson interior, length: 27.5 cm (10 7/8 in.), height: 9.5 cm (3 3/4 in.), signed Anna Kotukhina, inscribed in Cyrillic s. Palekh and dated lower right, numbered No 394 lower left, three verses of a poem describing the illustrated event in Cyrillic are written along the lower border of the cover:

To ne tuchi, grozoviye oblaka
To nad Terekom na kruchakh zalegli, -
Klichut trubi molodogo kazaka,
Pyl` sedaya vstala oblakom vdali.

Osedlayu ya goryachego konya,
Krepko sumy pritorochu v peremyot.
Vstan, kazachka molodaya, u pletnya,
Provodi menya do solnishka v pokhod!

Skachut sotni iz-za Tereka-reki,
Pod kopitami dorozhenka drozhit.
Yedut s pesney molodiye kazaki
V Krasnoy Armii respublike sluzhit!

PLEASE NOTE
If you will be bidding live on auction day, please note that Session I of the Auction (Asian and Russian Fine & Decorative Art), starts at 10:00 AM New York Time and goes from Lot 1 through Lot 254. Session II of the Auction (European, American and International Fine & Decorative Art) starts at 3:00 PM New York Time and goes from Lot 500 through Lot 676. We sell approximately 70 lots per hour.