Luboks

Have you ever heard of a Lubok before? No. Well, think of a Lubok as a Russian Bayeux Tapestry or even a Russian version of the Book of Kells.
Anyway, Luboks were popular piece of Russian art (despite the concept coming from China). They first appeared in Russia on counters and over time, people started to learn the craft. A lubok consisted of a sequence of images featuring monsters and saints on lithographical print or coloured woodcut that told stories without the need of a lot of words which was a blessing to the illiterate (a person who can't read)
Those who bought luboks were interested in the bright colours and the short stories the luboks told as they served at nearly wordless information sources, a good laugh and as decoration. Even the Russian Tsar (emperor) and his family loved luboks and hung them in their rooms and it was through there that luboks reached the huts of Russian peasants. Nowadays luboks can only be found in museums One iconic Lubok example is The Mice are burying the Cat which is thought to have been a caricature of the burial of Peter the Great. The story it tells is that one day, a cat pretended to be dead and the mice who unfortunately fell for it decided to give their feline enemy a proper burial only for the cat to wake up and eat the whole funeral procession on the way to the graveyard!