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Matryoshka the Russian Dolls
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| Matryoshka |
Matroyshkas as we know them today date from the late 19th century, though the nested "object within an object" theme had been used in folkart, both in Russia and elsewhere, for many years. The first set of Russian nested dolls was designed by Sergei Maliutin, who was employed in a workshop on the estate of industrialist and arts patron Sava Mamontov.
It's believed that Maliutin was inspired by a set of Japanese nesting figures called Fukuruma. But there is also a legend that the first Fukuruma figures introduced to Japan were actually made by an unknown Russian monk.
The name Matryoshka is thought to come from Matryona, which was a popular and very common woman's name among the Russian peasants of the period.
They are a set of roughly oval shaped dolls decreasing in size and which can be placed one next to the other. The typical nesting dolls are ones with beautiful feminine faces on them. They generally look like an attractive kaleidoscope of colors.
These stacking dolls are crafted with utmost precision, paying great attention to every minute detail. The design on each doll in one particular set is uniform. It is almost impossible to find a single difference in the design, be it the smallest or the biggest doll in the set.
If you thought nesting dolls were just good as show pieces, think again. They are not only good souvenirs, but also excellent gifting options. There is a Russian doll for anyone and everyone. There are contemporary nesting dolls of interesting designs for men. Clinton and his ladies in the form of nesting dolls is surely a hit among men. Women never get over their love for dolls. Russian dolls are so pretty that every woman would love them as gifts.
It's believed that Maliutin was inspired by a set of Japanese nesting figures called Fukuruma. But there is also a legend that the first Fukuruma figures introduced to Japan were actually made by an unknown Russian monk.
The name Matryoshka is thought to come from Matryona, which was a popular and very common woman's name among the Russian peasants of the period.
They are a set of roughly oval shaped dolls decreasing in size and which can be placed one next to the other. The typical nesting dolls are ones with beautiful feminine faces on them. They generally look like an attractive kaleidoscope of colors.
These stacking dolls are crafted with utmost precision, paying great attention to every minute detail. The design on each doll in one particular set is uniform. It is almost impossible to find a single difference in the design, be it the smallest or the biggest doll in the set.
If you thought nesting dolls were just good as show pieces, think again. They are not only good souvenirs, but also excellent gifting options. There is a Russian doll for anyone and everyone. There are contemporary nesting dolls of interesting designs for men. Clinton and his ladies in the form of nesting dolls is surely a hit among men. Women never get over their love for dolls. Russian dolls are so pretty that every woman would love them as gifts.
In the 1920s a new type of Matryoshka set was developed in Semionov, a small city famous for it's production of finely crafted wooden tableware and toys. As the Matryoshka created by the artisans of Semionov became more and more popular, they developed a distinctive style that remains popular today. The Semionov sets were slender, with a narrow top that flowed smoothly into a wide bottom. The faces of the sets were less portrait-like, and the main emphasis of the decoration was on the apron of each figure. Elaborately painted and even gilded floral patterns are typical of the aprons on Semionov sets.
During the Soviet period, individual artists were prohibited from making hand-crafted items for sale and though some Matryoshkas were produced in state-controlled factories, the unique beauty of the hand-made and carefully hand-painted figures was lacking. But following the collapse of the Communist system in the 1990s, Russian artists were once again free to create one-of-a-kind, handcrafted sets and they remain among the nation's most identifiable and creative folk art traditions.
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