Yesterday my parents surprised me with a gift to kick off the Christmas season.  It was this amazing Russian lacquer art pin.  I actually saw this pin LAST YEAR in Holly, MI (you can read about that trip here).  My parents snuck back and bought it to give me this year.  I know, seriously nice (and kind of insane).

I didn’t know anything about Russian lacquer art until I went to San Antonio last year and saw some elaborately painted boxes in an antique store.  The owner explained that they were hand painted in Russia using super fine horse hair.  The process was labor intensive and artists used magnifying glasses to create ultra detailed scenes.  Most lacquer art features fairy tale imagery.

Most boxes are pretty little, so you can just imagine the work it takes to create such intricate paintings.  Besides boxes, Russian lacquer art can be found on cigarette cases and pins.  

Antique lacquer art sells for big bucks, so keep an eye out!  Lacquer art however is still made today, so it is easy to buy an affordable piece should you want one.  Here is a sampling though of just how high prices can go on this stuff:

Neat, huh?  I love all of these pieces!  They are so gaudy, yet whimsical. 

-Erin