COLLECTING LACQUER MINIATURES

Experience is the great key to developing a collector’s eye, and you should build up a collection slowly, spending modestly at first, until you have confidence. Learn to recognize the four different schools; this will make it easier to spot “hybrids” that have been generated by untrained artists. Do not believe any seller in Russia who tells you, “This is student’s work”– the lacquer miniature students keep all their work for course assessment.

Sources: Find as reputable a dealer or source as you can. A good dealer will guarantee authenticity, and you can return the box if it develops any problems—even the best miniatures can sometimes have defective lacquering. Unfortunately, even prestigious shops in Russian Museums often sell duds for inflated prices. This may be purely due to ignorance, but it is why, ultimately, your own eye is the best judge.

Papier-mâché: this should make a pleasant, rather muffled sound when you touch lid and box together. Inferior materials make a raucous “clacking,” sound and often show up as rows of raised “pimple” dots under the lacquering on the bottom of the box.

Painting: this should have plenty of detail, and be harmonious in color, with a well-knit composition. If the box looks as though it was knocked up in a few hours, it probably was. Golden rule: a good miniature draws you in, a poor miniature pushes out at you.

Gold ornament: it should be dovetailed into the painting, and meticulously painted as a border, if an ornamental border is used. Use of bronze instead of gold usually means a poor quality, non-authentic production.

Signatures: this is tricky, since all miniatures, genuine and otherwise, are usually signed. At present anyone can legally paint “Palekh” on a box and sign their name to it. A recent survey in Moscow found that over 90% of the so-called lacquer miniatures on sale were not genuine.

Certificates: These were once issued with every miniature when the production was state-controlled. Nowadays, although it is nice to have a certificate, it is not a guarantee in itself, and likewise you may buy a museum-quality masterpiece without a certificate.

Artists: There are about 1,800 fully-qualified artists working in this tradition, so it is only worth being concerned about the artists’ names if you are already familiar with them as individuals, or if a dealer you trust recommends a particular artist.

Value: In the West, you should expect to pay no less than $60 for a genuine miniature, and around $200-600 for a good quality piece, either an original or well-executed copy. Fine quality originals may range up into several thousand dollars. Even then, however, they are usually well worth the money. Russian lacquer miniatures are arguably the finest miniatures being painted in the world today.

– Cherry Gilchrist