Product Description
Birches (Березы). Natural Crushed Semi-Precious Stone Mini Painting on Serpentine. A elegant and stately birch tree stand in the forest. About the finest exponent of this art we've seen in a long time. Base is serpentine. Approximately 4" x 4".
A few black manufacturing splotches on the back. A small metal ring has been sunk into the back for hanging, but out of concern for safety we supply a clear plastic easel for display. Made in Russia, circa 2000. 1 only.
This picture is made of top quality natural polished Ural serpentine (змеевик). Then, semi-precious stones of various types and colors (see list below) are delicately applied. The stones are carefully selected and screened for size, then washed and crushed. A design is laid out and finalized by the artist. A high-heat flame tool painstakingly melts the crushed stone and applies it in order to to reach the desired effect, just as a painter would apply paint to a canvas. Additonal three-dimensional details are obtained by melting an extra layer of crushed stone onto specific areas. Finally, larger bits of stone are chosen for color, sparkle and translucence to create the highlights. Everything is handwork.
The stones that were crushed include nephrite, lazurite, amazonite, charoite, malachite, aventurine, a variety of quartzes, including cloudy and rose, amethyst, spinel, ophicalcite, garnet and tourmaline, as well as other minerals. Several companies were involved in making and selling fancy stone boxes with painting. One of these companies, Factory "Malachite" (Фирма "Малахит") probably made this piece.
