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Russian Nesting Dolls
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About Russian (Matryoshka) Nesting Dolls:
Russian nesting dolls are one of the most popular Russian collectible crafts. Russian wooden nesting dolls are also known as "matryoshka" in Russia. The name Matryona or Matryosha was a very popular female name in Russia and comes from the Latin term "mater" or, in English, "mother"'. Matryoshka became a symbolic name that describes these colorful painted wooden dolls. Nesting dolls are crafted so they can be taken apart with progressively smaller dolls fitting inside each other.
The first Russian nesting dolls were first made in 1890 by Sava Mamontov, a manufacturer and a patron of the arts. His idea was to create a unique Russian style to be exhibited worldwide. Mamontov worked with artists and folk craftsmen to create unique Russian crafts in his workshops near Moscow during the late 1800's.
Nesting dolls were not a new idea to the Russians. Nested dolls and figurines were created by other cultures dating back centuries before the first Russian nesting doll. Sava Mamontov's artisians actually got the idea from a sample aquired in Japan, where a Russian monk created sets of 7 nested dolls.
Early in the development of Russian nesting dolls the faces were very large and egg shaped with more painted details than the rest of the figure. This allowed the artists to highlight facial expressions and gift each nesting doll set a unique personality. Highly skilled master craftsmen turned wooden nesting dolls on lathes and produced nesting dolls with very thin sides. Nesting dolls depict a variety of subjects including Russian peasants, merchants, legendary heroes and noblemen. Some Russian nesting dolls portrayed the family members while other matryoshkas depicted historical or political figures. Today you can even find nesting dolls painted with American political figures including Bill Clinton and all his favorite women.
During the Soviet times several nesting doll types were developed for factory production since private manufacturing of nesting dolls and other hand crafted products was not allowed in the USSR. Craftsmen had to work at the state owned factories for low wages and the nesting doll did not lend itself to mass production. Today quality nesting dolls are created by hand. They are more expensive than the factory produced nesting dolls, but each handmade wooden nesting doll set is unique.
About Russian Legacy Gift Shop:
Russian Legacy Gift Shop is the world's leading online retailer of quality Russian gifts and collectibles with over 3000 gifts and collectibles in stock. You'll discover unique personalized Russian nesting dolls, Russian apparel, dining and drinking accessories, Russian porcelain ceramic dolls, figurines and wood carvings, hand painted lacquered music boxes, Faberge eggs, Christmas gifts and ornaments, Russian chocolate, fur hats, scarves and shawls, jewelry, Soviet militaria collectible sets and much more.
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