My Grandparents went on a cruise to Russia and I asked my Grandmother to bring me back a Russian Doll. When she gave it to me I thought it was so beautiful and interesting that I had to google the origin of Russian Dolls also known as a Matryoshka Doll.
Photo of my set of Matryoshka Dolls
My Matryoshka/Russian Dolls
The very first Russian Doll was made in 1890 by Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by Sergey Malyutin. Sergey Malyutin was a folk crafts painter in Abramtsevo. I bet you are wondering what a the word “matryoshka” means. Well Matryoshka is actually a form of a Russian female first name Matryona or Matriosha.
Photo of First Russian Nesting Doll
Cool Facts About Russian Dolls
- The garment that the dolls are wearing are called sarafan.
- All dolls have a theme. The themes may vary from fairy tale characters to Soviet leaders.
- Now Russian dolls often have an odd number of figures but the original Zvyozdochkin set, for instance, had an even number.
- If you have not noticed the dolls have no hands (except those that are painted).
- The outer layer was traditionally a woman but now they can be either. The figures inside may be of either gender like the outer piece. Also like the outer piece the inner pieces were originally all girls. The smallest, innermost doll is typically a baby or a young child.
- The largest matryoshka doll ever made was 1 m high with a diameter of 0.5m. But the smallest set is 1 inch tall.
Photos The Largest and Smallest Matryoshka Dolls
I’m sure that there are MANY MANY MANY more facts about these incredible dolls but that is for you to explore.
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