Matryoshka Nesting Dolls

What is a Matryoshka Nesting Doll?

Russia?s most popular export is the famous nesting dolls. These dolls were first created over 100 years ago in a workshop called ?Children?s Education? by Sava Mamontov - industrialist and supporter of the arts. Painted to look like Russian women, they became known as ?matryoshka,? a popular female name of the time.

These Russian dolls come in hundreds of designs. Some matryoshka were actual family portraits including papa, mama and all the children. Other nesting dolls portray ?boyars? (Russian noblemen), ?bogatirs? (heroic warriors) or characters from famous books and legends. Most sets contain less than 10 pieces, each a little smaller and nesting within one another. The largest known matryoshka has 60 pieces!

Under the Soviet regime, private business was forbidden and almost all matryoshka were made in factories. This means nesting dolls from the mid 20th Century are very simple ? simple enough to be done by automated machines in government workshops.

With Russian independence, home industries and folk arts blossomed and the full creativity of Russian artists is once again on display in their dolls. Nesting dolls, commonly sold in sets of five or ten pieces, are now available in every color of the rainbow. They are one of a kind creations portraying people, animals, sports teams, cartoons, fairy tales and characters from modern literature as well as real people from recent history.

Pick your favorite color, choose a subject and you are almost sure to find a matryoshka to suit your personal taste to perfection.

This article courtesy of  http://www.dollshouse-4u.com.
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