Featured Paper Mache / Papier-mâché Boxes

These arrived yesterday

1) Tea Party (Чаепитие) from Palekh (right, @IvaPan?)
Unable to identify the artist. I assume this is a recent item, as this site https://giftsart.ru/product/shk-95-5-shkatulka-paleh-chaepitie sells similar boxes with this decoration, with the info: "The design may differ slightly from the one shown in the photo, as the box is made and painted by hand by the master."

 

2) Some similar boxes are being sold as Indian, others sell it as Persian. Who's right?

 

3) Persian pen/incense holder

 

4) Japanese box

 

Based on the wear, I assume the Japanese box isn't a recent souvenir. Not so sure about the rest. Your thoughts, please

 

i'm thinking the incense holder has age, the paint doesn't look new anyway

is the japanese box lacquer ? as i wanna say meiji looking

but don't wanna say that if it turns out to be metal and a biscuit tin

 

with "made in China" on the bottom

Just kidding

 

well i was gonna tell ya the story of the two brothers.....you know the one about the laxatives........the cunning younger one......and the princess about to enter who they are both fighting over

 

A bedtime story for me ... 3:45am, time for me to go to bed...

 

The Indo-persian on is probably Kashmiri.

 

Not very similar to my eyes, that one is Kashmiri. The qalamdan or pen case is Iranian.

Compare the surfaces of the Palekh box with the others. And Russian lacquer boxes generally have red lacquer on the inside and Russian scenes on the lid.

That one is Japonaiserie, European made, probably in France. We see them regularly here.

 

The Russian lacquer box could be modern, could be 10-15 years old, but not very old. It is signed "Л.К.", but it is almost impossible to find author by these initials. Most of Russian lacquer boxes depict scenes from Russian fairy tales and epics (if they are not pre-revolution pieces).
Before revolution boxes would depict different scenes, like scenes from village life or people of different trades, after revolution many themes became taboo and drawing fairy tales scenes was the most secure and neutral option.
The more complex the scene design and the more details it contains, the more expensive the work will cost (first photo).
The older boxes are more valuable (but not because of the age only, but because they were painted by old masters, who in their majority were monks). If you compare the technique of painting at Russian icons and lacquer boxes you would see the similarities, because some monks (that were not killed by communists) started to paint such souvenirs, as church was generally destroyed.
However even modern piece could be very expensive if it is complex in its design (second photo).
And as @Any Jewelry already said the Persian one is Kashmiri and the Japanese one is actually European.

 

I meant boxes online that are similar to the Kashmiri one

Ah, that did cross my mind as well, but so far the French boxes I had seen, also had text (brand name or 'deposé') on it. But it does have some age to it, right?

 

I have never seen that on papier-mâché work. It could have been a cottage craft 'industry'.

Definitely, it is antique, late 19th century imo. I quite like this type of work.

 

Thanks @nastina.nastea

I wasn't sure if was a Л or an A, as the one from the link looked more like an A to me. So, thank you for this confirmation as well

 

The qalamdan has some age. I find these difficult to date, but it could be 1950s or so.