Ivan Bilibin (1876–1942), Ivan Tsarevich and the Firebird, 1930
Ivan Bilibin (1876–1942), Ivan Tsarevich and the Firebird, watercolor on paper, 27 x 20 cm, 1930; source: H. Isserlis et al. (ed.), Contes de L'isba, Paris 1931, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Contes_de_l%27isba_(1931)_-_Tsarevitch_Ivan..._02_-_original_(priv.coll).jpg, public domain.
In Russian mythology, the exotic fiery bird brings both good luck and bad luck to whoever catches it. This illustration from the "Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf" depicts the legend’s prelude. After apples disappear from the tsar's garden, his sons lie in wait. Only Ivan manages to discover that the firebird is the thief and plucks a feather from him.
Ivan Bilibin (1876–1942), Ivan Tsarevich and the Firebird, watercolor on paper, 27 x 20 cm, 1930; source: H. Isserlis et al. (ed.), Contes de L'isba, Paris 1931, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.