Here we see the island of Kizhi, which is situated on Lake Onega in the northern part of Russia. The island is a living museum that is home to one of the most famous Russian cathedrals. The Transfiguration Cathedral, which is the centerpiece of this composition, was built in 1714 and does not have one nail in its entire structure.
Legend has it that it was built by a master carpenter who used only an ax to build the cathedral.
After he completed it he threw the ax into Lake Onega and proclaimed that a structure like this would never be built with that ax again. Egg-tempera paint is the medium used to paint the composition on this box. Due to the rural area in which Kizhi is located the artist uses a palette full of earth tones. The structure of the church is painted very accurately and the only straight lines, and sharp angles, are found in the architecture on the scene. The landscape is painted with smooth brushstrokes and looks almost unsettled.