The famous Russian enamel is an amateur and folk art. As the enamel has a rich pallette with long-lasting luster colors and smooth brilliant surface, it is widely used for production of expensive jewellery presents, such as exclusive jewelry, state honours and devotional articles. Icons, little crosses, miniature portraits painted on enamel are very durable, beautiful, bright and unique.

The Russian enamel reached its fullest flower in XVIII century. In St. Petersburg, Moscow and Rostov Yaroslavskii the enameled miniature was used as decorations for shuffboxes, caskets, medallions, honours. Masters from Rostov painted mainly icons, insets in church plate or books. In XIX century except painting of classic images, they began to imitate works of Russian and West-European painters as well as paint their own compositions. Pictures of such a beautiful and graceful animal as the horse were very popular at all times. Therefore it is quite natural that masters of the Russian enamel liked to paint this animal.
Horse portrait from foto.