Black Lacquer painting has been used in Ukraine to create all sorts of decorative objects, but most notably small boxes and other miniatures. This technique is a variation of Russian Palekh miniatures, and begins by coating a small wooden or papier mache object with black paint. An intricate scene is then painted over the black background – icons and scenes from folk tales are most common. Once this dries, several coats of varnish – lacquer – are applied, until the object has a perfect glossy finish.
The complexity of the design depends upon the size of the object, and the skills and artistic intentions of the artist.
