About the series:

Based on Sir Richard Burton's One Thousand and One Nights (1885) and painted in the style of the 17th century Dutch Masters' still life, the series bridges some of the cultural traditions of the East and the West. 

Why toys? Both toys and folk tales dwell in the worlds of reality and imagination: part-truth, part-invention. Tools for make-believe games, toys hint at the Romantic, fairytale-like constructed perception of the East, prevalent in Burton's 19th century Europe. In addition, despite the seriousness of the painting process and the macabre side of some tales, toys open the door to humor and whimsy.