Nativity of the Theotokos w/ two saints
Palekh School
19th century
Palekh (Russian: Па́лех) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Palekhsky District of Ivanovo Oblast, Russia
Palekh has a very long history in Russian iconography, the art of painting Russian Orthodox icons for homes and churches. The village emerged as a leading center of Russian icon- and mural-painting in the 19th century.
A good example of the Palekh school are the murals and icons from the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross (built in 1762–1774).
Today, Palekh is known primarily for its miniatures. Following the October Revolution with its outspoken atheist ideology, around 1923, the Palekh masters of iconography began to paint papier-mâché boxes applying the same principles they had learned from painting icons.
They used mainly tempera paints of bright colors and painted over a black background. The work usually represents themes from real life, fairy tales, literary works, and folk songs.