His son will eventually follow his father's footsteps to serve his country, which is why he is being presented with this honorable piece of weaponry. Oil-based paint is the primary medium used to paint this scene. The colors taken from Zotov's palette are subdued tones of brown and tan paint. Great attention to detail is given to the clothing of the subjects, which shows movement and the body language of the characters. Depth is created by placing the mother over the right shoulder of her son, which is reinforced by painting the background of where their feet are situated a trifle darker than the foreground.
Gold is used to highlight the detail of the stylish portions of the characters' clothing.
Gold application is very subtle yet creates light and continuity in the color scheme within the composition. Gold is also used to decorate the exterior of the box independent of the composition. The scene is framed with two gold lines, of varying thickness, that border the painting. Two lines of the same thickness' as those on the lid, can also be found wrapping around the sides of the box not far from the base. The exterior of the box is painted with black lacquer and the interior is painted with red lacquer.