Courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Museum, National Archives & Records Administration.
The Tale of the Golden Cockerel Lacquer Box
Artifact ID1987.00807.01
Object Type
Box, Trinket
Gifter
Nanuli Shevardnadze
Maker
Aleksander Terekhin
(Russian laquer artist, 1916-1991)
Date
1986
Medium
Wood, Lacquer
Dimensions3 7/8 × 6 3/8 × 1 3/8 in. (3 7/8 × 6 3/8 × 1 3/8 in.)
Physical DescriptionA black lacquer trinket box with a hinged lid. On the lid is a painted Medieval scene. In center is a king wearing a long cream colored robe with blue design and gold closures over a green long-sleeved tunic, red shoes, red cape, and crown. His right hand is over his heart, and he is pointing with his left hand. Lying in front of the king on the ground are two men. One is wearing a red tunic, blue leggings, tan boots, and a green cape and has a blue and yellow patterned round shield. Over him, with his head in his hands, is another man in a blue tunic with a green and yellow patterned round shield. Behind the king stand six men holding spears. Behind them are more mounted soldiers, a brown and blue pavilion tent, trees, and clouds in the sky. Around the edges is a gold waved design, and in the lower left corner, there is "9803" in gold. In the lower right corner is artist Aleksander Terekhin's name in gold Cyrillic characters А.Терехин. The sides are black with a gold waved design around the sides. There are four round feet on the bottom and "Made in USSR" in gold across the top. The inside is red lacquer.Historical NoteThe box was given to First Lady Nancy Reagan by Nanuli Shevardnadz after a meeting between their husbands, President Reagan and Eduard Shevardnadze, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, in 1987. Folk-tales were common subjects for Russian paintings, and this box depicts a scene from The Tale of the Golden Cockerel, where Tsar Dadon finds his two sons dead on the battlefield after they killed each other.
The Tale of the Golden Cockerel was a Russian fairy tale written by Alexander Pushkin in 1834. Though warlike in his youth Tsar Dadon wanted peace in his old age, but his neighbors attacked his kingdom on all sides. In return for a favor, a sorcerer gave him a golden cockerel who would crow in advance of an attack and turn in the direction of the danger. After years of peace, the cockerel crowed, and the Tsar sent first his oldest son and then his younger son with armies. With still no news, the Tsar went himself and found the bodies of his sons and their armies, who appeared to have killed each other. As he wept he met a princess who put him under her spell, and he returned to his castle with her. The sorcerer stopped them and asked for the princess to fulfill the Tsar's promise, but he killed the sorcerer instead. The golden cockerel then landed on his head and pecked him, and he died. The golden cockerel flew away and the princess vanished
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteThe item was a gift from a foreign official to First Lady Nancy Reagan during the Reagan administration. It was received through the Executive Office of the President Office of Correspondence and maintained there until its transfer to the National Archives in January, 1989 for deposit with the Reagan Presidential Library.
National Archives Catalog CollectionRecords of the White House Gift Unit (Reagan Administration) (National Archives Identifier 6816362) and
National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts from Foreign Officials (National Archives Identifier 6816364)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - Possibly
Use Restriction NoteCopyright or other proprietary rights may be held by individuals or entities other than the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum does not warrant that the use of materials will not infringe on the rights of third parties holding the rights to these works, or make any representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement, treaty, or protections that may apply. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy any copyright or other use restrictions. Pertinent regulations can be found at 36 C.F.R 1254.62.
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In Collection(s)