(3) Vintage Russian Hand-Painted Lacquered Brooches. Two show figural scenes, while one displays a floral arrangement. At least two clearly display the Mstyora city name, indicating they came from one of the three main hubs of this art form. All have working pins attached to the backs. 

Largest Size: 2 3/4 x 4 x 1 1/2 in. 

Russian lacquer art developed from the art of icon painting, which came to an end with the collapse of Imperial Russia. The icon painters, who previously had been employed by supplying not only churches but people’s homes, needed a way to make a living. Thus, the craft of making papier-mâché decorative boxes and panels developed, with the items lacquered and then hand painted by the artists, often with scenes from folk tales. The village of Fedoskino, located not far from Moscow on the banks of the Ucha River, is the oldest of the four art centers of Russian lacquer miniature painting, which has been practiced there since 1795. It is also unique among the four in that oil paints are used rather than egg tempera, and the images are more impressionistic than the realistic composition and detail seen in Palekh, Kholuy, and Mstyora. The preservation of this art form has also allowed for new generations to explore icon painting since the fall of the Soviet Union.

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