The Troika is the famous carriage or sleigh pulled by three horses abreast, and is practically a symbol of Russia. It is one of the most common subjects found on lacquer boxes and other Russian art, such as watercolor paintings. All four major villages that produce black lacquer boxes include the Troika as a theme. Since early times, Troikas meant more to Russians than just transportation. Travel in a Troika could be a wild, exciting ride and a memorable event. Thus, it is common to find the wild thrill of a Troika ride the subject of a Russian lacquer box.

Troika, obviously sharing the same root as the word "Troitsa" (Trinity), displays the major theological emphasis of the Christian East - the focus on the Holy Trinity that God is One God, yet in Three Persons. The Christian West has tended to emphasize the Oneness of the Trinity, but the Christian East has always emphasized the more communal aspect of the Trinity. One can find this "communal" theme repeated in Russian history, society, and culture (especially iconography) - and also in the Troika!

A celebrated passage from Gogol’s Dead Souls reads, "Ah, Troika, you who are a bird. Who conceived you? I think ‘tis only among spirited folk that you could come into being...Ah, these steeds, what steeds they are! Are there whirlwinds perched upon your manes? Is there a sensitive ear, alert as a flame, in your every fiber? You have caught the familiar song coming down to you from above, and all as one, and all in the same instant, you have strained your brazen chests and almost without touching earth with your hooves, you have become transformed into straight lines cleaving into the air, and the Troika tears along, all inspired by God!"