Nesting Dolls

Matryoshka or nesting dolls have delighted girls for many decades. These collectibles have been around for over a century, and their history is rich and entertaining. With many names-nesting dolls, stacking dolls, Matryoshka, or nested dolls-both collectors and children love these colorful dolls. The folk art behind nesting dolls appeals to men and women of all ages, so the demand for these dolls has never vanished.

Russian nesting dolls were created in the 1890 in Moscow. Sava Mamontov owned the Abramtsevo estate. This estate housed the Children's Workshop where the nesting dolls were dreamed up by Mamontov and then painted by local artists. Mamontov was both an industrialist and patron of the arts. His plan was to create a new form of Russian art that would take the art world by storm.

The belief is that the nesting dolls were given the name Matryoshka due to the Latin root "mater" which means mother. The dolls always featured a chubby woman and smaller replicas of this woman were tucked neatly inside. This image presented a nurturing mother figure that cared and sheltered her children. The name babushka doll is sometimes mistakenly used. A babushka is the Russian word for grandmother, so the mistake is easy to make.

In the late 1890's, a Japanese artist made his own version of the nesting dolls. In his version, the dolls were more cylindrical and featured Japanese men. These dolls, called Fukuruma, never caught on like the Russian nesting dolls. They tended to appeal more to grown men for their humorous looks.

Typically, nesting dolls contain at least twelve figures of varying sizes. These dolls are made of lime, aspen, birch, or alder. Lime is most readily available, so it is the most commonly used wood. The wood must dry for at least two years, as the rings of the wood must be at the right consistency to create the nesting dolls. Only an expert in doll making knows exactly how to judge when the wood is right.

The wood is hollowed out and then fit with a wooden ring that fits top to bottom. Once the largest doll is formed, the next size down is made to fit within the larger doll. This sizing procedure continues until the creator reaches the smallest doll. This tiny doll remains solid. Each doll is then hand painted to represent a Russian woman. Apart, the purchaser has at least twelve individual dolls. When playtime is over, the nesting dolls all neatly stack inside one another.