The palette is very bright and the colors are extremely radiant. The colors of the paints border on being pastel, which all work with each other in the composition. The form is then painted over and given a tremendous amount of detail. The paint is so thin that a transparent effect is created, which gives the structure tremendous depth. Gold paint is also used to outline the detail of the architecture in the scene as well as the thin vapor above the cathedral.
Black lacquer is used to paint the outside and red lacquer is used to paint the inside of the box.
For decoration the artist paints little designs in the corners of the composition and frames the rest with strips of gold foil. The designs are painted on a layer of clear lacquer that makes the design look like it is floating. The artist also decorates the sides of the box this way but on a larger scale. The box has a hinge located to the left of the composition and rests on a flat bottom.