Casket with miniature: The Three Bogatyrs

The Three Bogatyrs, (1898) was among the popular works by Viktor Vasnetsov (1848-1926). The three noble warriors of Kievan Rus, whose names appear in the byliny, or Slavic narrative poems, include, in the center Ilya Muromets, a 12th-century warrior who defended Rus from invaders from the steppes and who was later sanctified; Dobrynya Nikitich (left); and the youngest of the three bogatyrs, and Alyosha Popovich (right). The colors in the miniature appear paler and more greenish than in the original painting, which is now in the State Tretyakov Gallery. That Reinhold Glière (1875-1956), who incorporated themes from Kievan Rus into his music, should have adapted the tale of these three bogatyrs for his Symphony No. 3 ("Ilya Muromets") in B minor, op. 42 (1911), attests to the popularity of this subject.

The counter enamel inside the lid is in turquoise en plein enamel over a guilloché ground engraved in zigzag patterns.