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Information About Nesting Dolls

A nesting doll (matryoshka) is a set of wooden figurines of decreasing sizes that can be placed inside of one another. The largest figurine can be opened to expose a smaller figurine inside. This smaller figurine has another figurine inside of it, and so forth.

History
- The origin of the nesting doll is uncertain. One story claims that Russian artists got the idea from a Japanese figurine call the "fukuruma." However, the Japanese allege that a traveling Russian monk made the fukuruma doll.
  
  The first Russian nesting doll was made by Vassily Zviozdochkin and painted by Sergei Maliutin in 1890. The doll consisted of a peasant girl or "mother" with seven "children" of decreasing sizes inside.
  
  Matryoshka is a term derived from the Russian female name Matryona or Matriosha, which means "mother." Nesting dolls are called matryoshkas to symbolize the importance of mothers to families.
Production
- Nesting dolls are made from either lime, aspen or birch wood. A small piece of wood is placed onto a turning lathe (machine that spins the wood) and chisels are used to sculpt the figurine. The smallest figurine is made first followed by the bottom and top halves of each piece. The finished pieces are then cleaned, primed and painted. Varnish is applied to the pieces to protect the paint and provide a luster.
Theme
- A traditional nesting doll portrays a family: a mother, a father (in some types) and children. Other themes include religious figures, political leaders, historical figures, musicians, and animals.

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