Photography by Simon Whyte Design by Ieva Bureikaite
What’s in a name? It happened so that the wooden toy was Matryoshka (or Matrioshka, if you wish) and there is no information who was the first to call the nesting doll by this name. Definitely the name Matryoshka goes from Russian female name Matriona. In old Russia among peasants the name Matriona or Matriosha was a very popular female name. Scholars says this name has a Latin root “mater” and means “Mother”. This name was associated with the image of a mother of a big peasant family who was very healthy and had a portly figure. Subsequently, it became a symbolic name and was used specially to image brightly painted wooden figurines made in the way so that they could be taken apart to reveal smaller dolls fitting inside one another.
Where do they come from? The first Russian nesting doll was born in 1890 in the workshop “Children’s Education” situated in Abramtsevo estate new Moscow. The owner of Abramtsevo was Sava Mamontov industrialist and a patron of the arts. The end of the 19th century in Russia was a time of great economic and cultural development. Mamontov was one of the first who patronized artists who were possessed by the idea of the creation of a new Russian style. Many famous Russian artists worked along with folk craftsmen in the workshops of Mamontov. Once at a tradition Saturday meeting somebody brought a funny Japanese figurine of a goodnature bold head old man Fukuruma. The doll consisted of some other figurines nestled one another. It had 7 figurines. That was the fist known nesting doll. On other hand there was a legend that the first doll of such type (nested wooden doll) was brought on the Japanese island Honshu (where Fukuruma was made) by unknown Russian monk. Really, this type of nesting toys was well known before - Russian crafters turned wooden Easter eggs, apples. An artist Sergei Maliutin (one of Mamontov’s artistic group members), was intrigued by the Fururuma nesting doll and he decided to make something similar but with Russian peculiarity, an own Russian nesting doll. The doll should have its own Russian spirit and to represent specific Russian cultural traditions. So Sergei Malytunin made a sketch of such a doll and asked the crafter Vasiliy Zveydochin to help him make a wooden form for the nesting doll. The principle of making dolls remains unchanged until the present time, keeping all the tricks of turning skill of Russian craftsmen. Usually a turner uses such wooden materials as lime and birch. Timber that is intended for the manufacture of dolls, usually is cut down in early spring, purified from the bark, leaving in some places of the log rings of bark to prevent during drying cracking of the wood. Prepared in this way the logs are stacked in piles, between them there is a gap for air flow. Usually timber is kept in the open air for several years to bring it up to a certain condition, avoiding not proper drying. Only an experienced master can determine the readiness of the material. Ready to process the logs are sawn into billets for future dolls. The doll blank overcomes though up to 15 operations in the hands of a turner before becoming a finished doll.
Matryoshka is a big happy wooden doll full of surprises inside.
Sometimes Matryoshkas like to form mafia clans and steal apples from the neighbours.
The height is a very important measure in a Matryoshka’s life - the taller you are the more wisdom you carry within.
Matryoshka can be in two pieces at one time - quite extraordinary!
Matryoshkas like to spy on each other. Gossip keeps the world spinning.
Matryoshkas are good at tricks.
And boy, they like to show them off.
Family gatherings and photogeneity are essential for Matryoshka’s survival - smile or die.
Matryoshkas like to stick together and stand up
for each other. They are like an unbrakeble chain...
Matryoshkas like being together - there is always someone around to turn to even if you don’t want to.
Matryoshkas like to think of themselves as extremists.
Beauty is a given to a Matryoshka.
Matryoshkas just love to play and have a good laugh; never a dull moment.
Too precious to sell, but call if you have lots of money.