Hand-painted Russian wooden egg, Saint George and dragon, total height 18.5 in

Hand-painted Russian wooden egg, Saint George and dragon, total height 18.5 in. The icon depicted on this egg shows Saint George battling the dragon. Legend has it that Saint George was sent by God to defeat the dragon on the condition that the townspeople of Salem embraced faith in the Lord. This way, the life of Princess Silene, who had been chosen by the local families to be sacrificed to the insatiable monster, could be saved. And so it was. The king and his subjects were baptised, Saint George faced the dragon, and killed it, freeing the city from the plague of the monster. The egg is entirely hand-painted by talented Russian painters skilled in the freehand painting of miniature school. The ancient art of Russian miniatures developed following the evolution of Byzantine icon painting during the time of the Imperial Russia. The halos of the characters have gold-coloured details, and the egg features the application of glitter on some details of the scene. Overall, the egg is a symbol of life. Placing it on a pedestal serves as a reminder that there is a delicate balance in life that must be respected. Giving this type of object as a gift is equivalent to wishing the people who receives it to make the right choices and find their balance. The total height of the egg on the pedestal is 18.5 in. The egg alone measures 11 in with a diameter of 7.9 in.