And the rope bends. Hundreds of twine strands screech in agony as they are twisted, churned, yanked and pulled; the captured yearns for release. The strands find solace in the fact that they are quite strong and very united.
There are proud steps here, splashing through the meadow's murk, almost gliding on top of it. They are proud, due to a job well done. Critters swarm for thanks and then dive back into the woods so that others may come and show their appreciation for the hero.
Ilya Muromets, heroic poetry in motion. Even his beard exudes pride. And then there is the schemer. Solovey Razboinik. His knuckles curl in the anticipation of an eventual release. His eyes search desperately for some avenue, any avenue, paved with escape and tarred with freedom. And his mind is a never ending puzzle of confusion digging bottomless holes of dismay for itself. It cannot find answers for Solovey. Answers to many questions, including one: "It used to be so easy to be a villain. What happened?"
N. Salova of Kholuy is the talented artist that used gallons of skill, experience and effort in the enchanting depiction of Ilya Muromets and Solovey Razboynik. The setting and the characters act as one. This piece is all about presentation, and Salova receives an encore for this impressive completion.
The bandit has been captured! The artist has composed a scene from the Russian tale of, " Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale Whistler." Ilya Muromets , was a hero of many Russian legends. In Ancient Rus, most of the people learned about their history through epic songs and from storytellers, who passed the information down from generation to generation. These tales were called "bylini" and Ilya Muromets, Dobrinya Nikitich, and Alyosha Popovich were the most popular heroes of many of these legends.
Ilya was the oldest and wisest of the Three Bogatyrs. He was born of peasant stock and for the first thirty and three years of his life he was ill and could neither walk nor move himself. Legend has it that one day a Holy man came to his cottage and commanded him to get up and walk and to give him the water. To his great astonishment Ilya rose and was able to walk. He gave the Holy Man to drink and drank himself. Within a few minutes he felt extraordinary power and strength in his limbs and entire body. From then on Ilya was a protector and faithful defender of Ancient Russia who accomplished many great deeds.
In this composition we have the victory painted to perfection, the capture of the Nightingale Whistler (Solovey Razboynik in Russian), who robbed merchants on their way to Kiev and killed people with the sound of his earth shattering whistle. Solovey is strapped to the back of the hero's horse, he knows his time is up.
The box is constructed from paper-mache made in the village of Kholuy. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the box while red lacquer completes the interior of the work. A hinge is fastened to the left of the composition so that the piece opens like a storybook. Incredible patience was a must while constructing the impressive filigree patterns that frame the lid's artistry and decorate all four sides of the base. The filigree designs combine with aluminum beads and strings of golden beads to form a luxurious compliment to the composition.
Egg-tempera paint is the primary medium used to compose this beautiful artistry. Detail takes over. The leaves of the trees, the sunlight playing hide-n-seek with the stream and the plants towards the bottom of the composition are all rich with a wealth of texture by design. Infinite golden contours dazzle as the outlines and highlights of the landscape as well as areas within the characters. Ilya and his horse's armor, the mane of the horse and the shading of the critters is all finished in this way. Light dustings of aluminum paint have been used to frost the areas nearest Solovey.
Upon completion of the piece the artist signs their name, the title and the village name of Kholuy along the bottom of the composition in gold paint.
Materials: Egg-tempera paint, gold paint, aluminum paint, paper-mache and lacquer.
Item Specifications:
- Title: "Ilya Muromets and Solovey Razboinik 2003"
- Weight: 6.4 oz 181 g
- Price: $1300.00
- This specific item is available as a single work.
We do not expect to carry this item in the foreseeable future!
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