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Russian Matryoshka Nesting Dolls

Matryoshka is the best known and most popular of all Russian handcrafted souvenir and can rightfully be called a true cultural phenomenon. When one thinks of Russia, the images that usually come to mind are bears, vodka, and matryoshka, that have become one of the most recognizable symbols of Russia. Russians are also called them matreshka, matroshka, matruska, matryushka, matrioshka, matriochka, babushka or babooshka dolls, babushka's doll, and stacking dolls. Colors and shape of nesting dolls may vary in a big range, because painters can paint simple folk ornaments, famous patterns or Pushkin's tales on small or big wooden dolls.  Whatever you want to call them,  big selection of nesting dolls available on our site. To help you browsing nesting doll our site have easy navigation by theme, by brand or by names and you can read more details about it on this page How to Shop Online. Many nesting dolls are found in countless collections, belonging to true art connoisseurs, as their tremendous potential for conveying deep meanings of multitudes of events, happening both in time and in space, answers the most important aspect, or essence, of true art. Our website offers modern, as well as classic, or non-typical matryoshka dolls for any taste and money to make it easy to choose perfect handmade nesting doll!


Short history of Nesting Dolls 


The very first Russian nesting doll Matryoshka set was carved by Vasily Zvyozdochkin in 1890 and hand painted by Sergey Malyutin who was famous Russian folk painter, in the workshop, called "Children's Education". Zvyozdochkin and Malyutin were inspired by a doll brang by Savva Mamontov from Japan, that doll was made of stone but also was nesting with three pcs inside. Malyutin painted that doll in his own design: it was a family of mother and her seven children. Present days you can visit Sergiev Posad Martyoshka museum and see that dolls there. On our site you can find many nesting dolls painted in Malyutin's style: for example Malutinskaya doll with samovar. Sergiev Posad calling birthplace for first Russian Matryoshka. This is very beautiful city and Sergiev-Posad Monastery located here is very famous. 

The largest set of matryoshka nesting dolls in the world is a 75-piece set hand-carved and painted in Russia. On our website you can find a choise of 30,40 and 50-piece sets ready to buy, but also you can order and we can made for you Matryoshka with up to 75-piece set.

Do you know how blank nesting dolls making? They are usually made from lime or birch tree wood. All trees for nesting dolls are cut down in middle of spring when the trees are full of sap. Workers stripping trees of bark and then stacking loggs in piles with some distance between them to allow air convention. Then logs staying on open air in wood till next year. When logs are ready workers cut them into differnt size pieces and prepare for lathe machine. There are different shapes and sizes for dolls and masters have many different sizes chisels and knives for cutting. They start to cut form the bottom part. After it done, master start to carve head of doll and when head is ready, master join two parts together and making final grinding for whole doll . If master doing 5 set nesting doll he will cut 10 pieces dolls and after joining it will be 5 dolls. When master finished this work, he cleaning each doll to make the surface smooth and then dolls are ready for painting!

What is the meaning of a Russian doll?

Nesting dolls Matryoshka are Russian wooden toys where smaller dolls stacked within the bigger one. But why the name matryoshka? Matryoshka word is based on the Russian name Matryona what means mother. In Russia the name Matryosha or Matryona was very popular female name. For many this name came to symbolize motherhood, fertility, and warm care, as at the root of the name Matryona. Present days name Matryoshka or Russian Nesting dolls is very common name for famous toys with painted ornaments, patterns and pictures. Matryoshkas inside usually follow same theme, but the themes may vary, from flowers and animals to landscapes, paintings, portraits or fairytales. Matryoshka nesting dolls are often referred to as "babushka dolls", where babushka meaning "grandmother". Finally, even the shape of this doll conveys the feeling of motherly love and safety. And that is why in the most nesting doll sets, the largest doll represents the mother and the smaller matryoshkas represent her children.

Russain Nesting Dolls Today

Our collection of Russian Matryoshka include many different dolls. You never know what's inside - this idea of nesting doll Matryoshka made her most desirable gift and surprise. Many talanted painters creating so different dolls every day, that is impossible to describe which matryoshka is traditional and which is not. When our value customers ask as to advise how to choose best nesting doll for home or to make a present we tell them to think what colors do they prefer and what size seems to be the best for them, and after we advise to choose a picture which they like.
There are different cities where Matryoshka dolls' painters leaves and work: SemyonovSergiev PosadVyatka Kirov. Semenovskaya matryoshka is bright red doll with Russian face and folk ornaments, Sergiev Posad matryoshka is more elegant and attractive doll with very detailed pictures on front, Kirovskaya matryoshka (Vyatka is also name for it) is very detailed painting ussuall with pictures from Russian fairytales.

Many matryoshka dolls to choose from

We have big and small nesting dolls, hand-painted matryoshkas, and Roly-poly matryoshkas! Cartoon matryoshkas, cats and dogs matryoshkas, famous writers and composers dolls! You can choose from our classic artists paintings fantastic nesting dolls with Famous Paintings or fine matryoshka jewelry (pendants and earrings in Fabergé- Egg Styles). A matryoshka doll is an absolutely fantastic awesome work of art that makes you feel great any time you look at its beautiful miniature painted ornament. You can see how attempts of painters developed a new style of nesting dolls. Many artist using patterns and ornaments from old Russian art culture and these Nesting dolls Matryoshkas are very very popular not only in Russia but in a wolrd. You can see our samples of Nestind dolls painted in traditional folk style on this page Heritage Nesting Dolls. Present time many painters using old Russian art tradditions whuli painting dolls, but you can see that all dolls are very differnt because painters always trying to improve all colors and patterns on dolls surface. Most beautiful dolls we put into Exclusive Nesting Dolls.

Funny caricatures or detailed painting of famous politicians - is one of kind style of Russian Matryoshka. First time world saw nesting doll with Soviet leader Gorby on it, but it was a surprice to open it and find other Soviet leaders inside. After Gorby gone and Yeltsin elected Russian president, nesting dolls where inside of first with Yeltsin portrait were Gorby, Brezhnev, Stalin and Lenin became a bestseller. Many politicians from differend countries are painted on nesting dolls at present days - do view our Politics Nesting Dolls selection.

Since USSR was broken in 1985 many Russian professional painters and craftsmen started to paint differnt nesting dolls trying to create unique and most beautiful dolls. 
Nesting dolls Matryoshka are soul and history of Russia, they are a very different. Present days you can find Matryoshkas in art collections at different location all around the world. We can find history and power, beauty and stories, cities and fantasies painted on Russian nesting dools. Every year new young painters start creating new nesting dolls, painted by diiferent colors on unique surfaces. That's why if you would like to count how many different type of Matryoshka excit you will never know.

Where to buy handmade Russian matryoshka doll in Moscow?


The Skazka shop on the Arbat street in Moscow offers an unprecedentedly huge selection of handmade dolls. Each doll in the Skazka store is signed by an artist and is accompanied by certificate of quality confirming that the doll is handmade in Russia. The Skazka store gives a quality guarantee for every matryoshka nesting doll for a period of 3 years. To visit Skazka store go to Arbat street 51, near Hard Rock cafe Moscow, use exit at Smolenskaya metro station.

Nesting Doll is a very wonderful gift for Christmas, New Year, Birth Day, Chanukah and Easter

 

 

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The prices in the retail Skazka shop may differ from the prices indicated on this site.