$25,000
of a rectangular shape with rounded corners, the hinged cover depicting an elaborately illustrated scene at [Reading House], where a Soviet activist is educating the members of the Tatar diaspora. Gathered at a table, Muslim man and women are leaning towards their mentor, they appear inspired and challenged by the process. The activist is pointing at a text in a newspaper with his one hand, while his other hand is raised in a didactic gesture emphasizing the importance of the written word. There are numerous bookshelves, a globe, and a bust of Lenin behind them. The interior features a portrait of Andrey Bubnov, People's Commissar for Education, in the upper left corner, and a portrait of Mikhail Kalinin, the nominal head of the Soviet Union, in the upper right corner. The red standard in the center reads in the old Tatar language. An ornate gilded border runs around the cover of the box; a gilded vegetative garland, presented in the traditional miniature painting style of Palekh, runs around the body of the box, with further writing in old Tatar on the side; a stylized gilded star-shaped sun is painted on the base; red-lacquered interior; length: 18.5 cm (7 1/4 in.), height: 8 cm (3 1/8 in.); signed lower right, inscribed and dated lower left
Auctioneer:
Shapiro Auctions
Date:
2015-02-28
