1908
Paper, tempera, colored pencils
74,7 х 86

The picture portrays the artist's daughter, Irina Borisovna Kustodiyeva (1905–1981). The painting is one of the most charming images of childhood in art of the early 20th century. The girl is seated on the window sill of a "terem", the house that was built by the artist not far from Kineshma for his family's summer vacation. Sensitive to children's psychology, the master has made, with tender humour, a snapshot of the process of enchanted game, with the doll coming alive in the child's hands, its narrow bead eyes showing a merry glint. With the girl's figure placed by the artist against the light, all we can see is the little one's plump cheeks and little hands. They seem to be somewhat frozen compared to the whirlwind of brushstrokes applied to paint the airy dress. Kustodiyev seems to have caught, without wanting to, the miraculous moment when the girl and the doll swapped their roles. The large window of the house resembles a Japanese latticed screen window, with the semiround Empire-style window in a red frame reproducing the outline of the doll's hair style. Thanks to the artist's ornamental stylization, the wooden "terem", built in neo-Russian style, turns into a fairy-land Japanese cottage, whose peace is disturbed neither by the fir or birch trees on the other side of the window.