Falconry, or hunting with falcons, can be traced back to ancient Persian times. The sport became so popular that it was depicted in paintings and tapestries throughout the Middle Ages, and these birds of prey were highly sought after, and protected, creatures. The relationship between a raptor and its master is a rewarding one that starts harsh. The master must capture the bird and tame it. When the bird is accustomed to eating from the master's fist, he teaches it to fly away and back to him. Its hunting instincts never go away and allowing it to fly freely in a field, where prey is abound, produces great results. All that is needed is patience and a bond between man and animal. Today this is rarely practiced in the US or the UK. It is, however, practiced with great fervor on the Arabian Peninsula.
This scene shows a group of the tsar's Sokolnichiy Order (sokol is Russian for falcon). These men and their birds were the tsar's favorite guards and he often went with them to hunt. There is a Sokolniki District in Moscow, which is located on land where these men would frequently hunt. The scene on this box could very well be on that land, which today has turned into an urban sprawl. In the background one can see a falcon coming in for the kill on a duck, while the others rest near a brook.
Oil-based paint is the main medium used to paint this composition. The palette used is based on colors that would normally appear in nature. To paint the animals the artist employs a vast knowledge in their anatomical structures to keep the proportions accurate. Each man has his own distinct features that allow them to be independent entities of the group. The landscape is painted as a Vasnetsovesque panorama that stretches into infinity. There is an entire layer of aluminum used to primer the lid before the artist began to paint on it. Over this lustrous medium the artist then took very small brushstrokes to the lid to make the sky, grasses, and brook glow. Gold inlays are used to outline the trim in the men's clothing. All in all this composition is a fine example of classic oil painting on a paper-mache canvas.
The box is made out of paper-mache made in Fedoskino. Black lacquer covers the exterior and red lacquer covers the interior of the box; clear lacquer that once made this box shine intensely has evaporated over time, leaving the contours of the painting visible to the naked eye. Gold ornamentation frames the composition on the lid and another pattern, with aluminum skan accents, wraps around the sides of the box. The box has a hinge above the composition and rests on four rounded feet. As this box is older (painted during the 1970s) its lacquer has cracked in some places. This does not detract from the value of the box, yet shows its age. Upon completing the work on this piece the artist writes Fedoskino, the title, and signs his name along the bottom of the composition.
Materials: paper-mache, oil-based paint, gold, aluminum, and lacquer.
Item Specifications:
- Title: "Falconry by Order of the Tsar 1970"
- Price: $1600.00
- Status: SOLD
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