Russian miniature lacquer boxes are hand made of hardened papier-mâché that have been topped with successive coats of lacquer that have been hand polished to a high sheen. The boxes are then painted in tempera, often with scenes from Russian folk art or fairy tales. These boxes, done in the Mstiora (or Mstyora) style, are one of four styles that developed from the art of icon painting, the other three being Palekh, Kholuy, and Fedoskino.
