This is one of the boxes from my own collection. I got in in Russia. Boxes like this one is made in Paleh, so this is how they are called, Paleh jewelry boxes. They are hand painted, so all of them are unique.
You will never guess how they are made unless you know! They look and feel like hardwood. They are not though. Hardwood could lose its shape over time. They do not want that to happen, of course! They want these boxes to last forever, if possible.
They are made of Papier-mâché! I have found an article on how they are made. It is short, but translated by Google-translation, so reading will be funny :) You may reed it here.
8 comments:
That's papier-mache?! It doesn't look like it at all! Very cool that they are all hand painted and unique!
Yes, this is very heavy duty papier-mache :) It is made under pressure, so they can shape them just like hardwood afterwards!
I love papier maché, it's so versatile. I've got some pieces over 100 years old from my grandparents house that I adore. This little box is beautiful; the colours are so bright & whoever decorated it has some talent! Thanks for the 'translation', good fun!
100 y.o. pieces sound exiting! I do not own anything that is so old...
Incredible that it's paper mache! Really amazing.
Beautiful box! My only experience with papier-mâché was making an ugly mask in high school, so I'm fascinated that's what it's made from.
Big difference, when something is made professionally or as a hobby, isn't it? ;)
I was amazed too, when I found out! I did not know for many years!
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