Matreshka Dolls

Wooden nesting dolls are known by many names: Matreshka dolls, Matreyoshka, Russian stacking dolls and regarded as one of the most recognized Russian souvenirs. Normally crafted from soft wood of European linden tree (Tiliaceae Europaes), lime or birch tree and each piece is hand painted and than covered with lacquer to protect the painting.

History of Russian nesting dolls is not quite as long as many people might think, including myself. I was quite surprised to find out the simple facts behind this souvenir while doing my research. Please read more detailed historical data bellow.

Each individual matreshka dolls set is actually an artwork. Consider the effort that goes into process of making them. Each matreshka in set of dolls is made from same piece of wood to make sure that wood reacts in same way to changing climate conditions and temperature. That fact creates severe restrictions on artist, just consider what happens when 1 doll in set of 7 gets damaged – whole set has to be discarded and work is lost. Each doll is crafted by hand and primary instrument used – artist intuition and require a great skill. When turning word on lathe completed, dolls are cleaned, primed with starchy glue and polished to make surface smooth and ready for paint artist. Hand painting itself takes weeks and sometime months of work and only than stacking dolls are covered with lacquer to give it polished and brilliant look we see in gift shops. Many dolls get as many as 7 layers of lacquer to be considered a ready product.

If you are considering buying a matreshka dolls as a souvenir yourself or a gift for someone you know, hopefully what you read will help you make your decision. Prices of each nesting dolls set are variable and greatly depend on the skill of artists, involved into making them. So basically as with any art – you get exactly what you pay for and getting your expectations in line with your budget perhaps the most important decision to make.

History of Russian nesting dolls - Matreyoshka

Matreshka Is a wooden doll, usually in a colorful dress with successively smaller ones fitted into it. The doll is generally recognized as a symbol of Russian national art. The predecessor of this Russian doll was brought to Russia from the island Honshu. At the end of XIX century A.Mamontova brought to Moscow toy factory “Children Education” from Japan a figure of joyful bold Wiseman Fukuruma. The toy consisted of several figures stacked together. The Japanese affirm that it was an unknown Russian monk who carved the first doll of this kind on island.

Woodworker Vasiliy Zvezdochkin, who worked in “Children Education” at the time, created similar figures that also stacked into one another and artist Sergey Malyutin painted them as boys and girls. On very first matryoshka was painted a picture of a girl in traditional Russian costume. First Matreshkas costume was in tender pastel colors and reflected the major style of that period. The variety of nesting dolls was achieved by the number of pieces mainly ranging from 3 to 12. But also exist "supermatreshkas" having 48-60 pieces, but these are unique.

Russian wooden dolls within smaller dolls were called matryoshka. In old Russia among peasants the name Matryona or Matriosha was a very popular female name. Scientist think this name has a Latin root "mater" and means "Mother". This name was associated with the image of a mother of a big peasant family who was very healthy and had a portly figure.

Later, it became a symbolic name and was used specifically to represent brightly painted wooden figurines made in a such way that they could taken apart to reveal smaller dolls fitting inside one another. Every doll (except the last one, the smallest) consists of two parts. The smaller doll inserts into the bigger one. Thus dolls (sometimes up to 30) can be combined inside the biggest doll - Matreshka. Production of a 30-pieces Matreshka demands a huge amount of time and effort. The size of the biggest doll is about 15 inches whereas the smallest - 0,1 inches! This is very high detailed unique work.

Before the painter starts his work the wood turner makes a "part blank". Every doll is turned by hand with lathe. All dolls are made from natural wood. After the pictures are ready, dolls are covered by several layers of lacquer. The lacquer adds glint to the doll and defends the pictures.

The painting of Matreshkas awakes the creative potential of various artists. Nowadays authors of Matreshka use the themes of Russian and European paintings, landscape painting and still life. Some of them have ornaments based on the plots of popular European fairy tales.

In spite of this fact Matreshka stays Russian national souvenir with Russian history and traditions. This wooden doll decorates any place it appears and keeps the warmth of the hands of the craftsman.

Click on the Doll or here to see our hand selected Matreyoshka's

Sergiev Posad

Sergiev Posad was a place where the first nesting doll was made.

This old Russian town is located 73 km (about 45 miles) from Moscow.The town emerged long time ago, round the St. Trinity Sergius Lavra, the monastery established here by one of the most honoured Russian saints, reverent Sergius of Radonezh.

In 1340 the monk Sergius founded a small temple lost in the midst of the wild thick forests. In time it was developed into the biggest monastery of Russia.

Arts and crafts were flourished in the towns and villages who surrounded the monastery. Wooden toys, which were known as "Trinity" toys, became particularly popular. According to the legend the first "Trinity" wooden toy was made by the Sergius Radonezhsky himself.

Sergiev Posad was a colorful, truly Russian town. The Monastery lent a unique peculiarity to it. The huge marketplace in front of the Monastery was almost always full of different people: merchants, monks, pilgrims and craftsmen were milling around.

Professional artists made the first painted matreshka of Sergiev Posad just for fun. That is why these dolls are so expressive and won admiration of adults and children. In the initial period of matreshka development particularly attention was paid to faces of matreshka, clothes were not detailed painted. Such dolls depicted different character and types: peasants, merchants, and noblemen. Along with the icons, matryoshkas were painted as well in the icon painting school of Sergiev Posad.

In spite of, or perhaps because of the popularity of the matryoshkas of Sergiev Posad, matryoshka-making center started to spring up in Russia. That period was nearly ended by a Soviet government and their restructure of society but thankfully enough the 1990’s came and now the old craft flourishes just as before.

The Museum Of Russian Matreshka was opened in Moscow in October 2001. It is the first official collection of Matreshka dolls in Russia, in spite of this art exists in Russia more than 100 years and appears as the most popular Russian craft. The Matreshka Museum accommodates in the building of Russian Folk Arts Fund, in the same house where the first Russian Matreshka doll was created in the end of the XIX century.

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