|
Russian Nesting Dolls & Santas >> Russian Nesting Dolls
Matryoshka, or sometimes better known as Nesting Dolls, are sculpted from the soft wood of the European linden tree, or birch. Each individual piece of art is hand-painted. The method is basically the same today as a hundred years ago, taking anywhere from several days to several months to finish. This Russian art is beautiful, interesting and collectible. In the traditional nesting doll sets, all of the dolls look almost identical to one another. In other cases, the set forms a theme, such as the classic sets of
Disney Stories or Fairy Tales.
History of Matryoshka Nesting Dolls:
The Story Behind the Name
In provincial Russia, Matryona was a very popular female name. It was derived from the Latin root 'mater' which means 'mother.' This name was associated with the image of a mother of a big family who was very healthy and had a portly figure. Subsequently, it became a symbolic name and was used specially to describe brightly painted wooden dolls made in such a way that they could be taken apart to reveal smaller dolls fitting inside one another.
Even now nesting dolls are considered to be a symbol of motherhood and fertility. A mother doll with numerous dolls - - (children) perfectly expresses the oldest symbol of human culture.
The Creation of Nesting Dolls
Russian craftsmen, who had considerable experience in turning wooden objects which fitted inside each other, (for example, Easter eggs) skillfully worked out the nesting dollmaking technology nearly 100 years ago. The basic technique of nesting doll making remains unchanged. Every workpiece can be turned as many as 15 times before the nesting doll will be ready. Making a doll on a turning lathe requires highly developed skills, an ability to work with a beguilingly small set of tools - a knife and chisels of various lengths and shapes.
The smallest figurine (which cannot be taken apart) is usually made first. The bottom part of the next figurine which can be taken apart is turned next. Then a workpiece is turned to reach the necessary size and the top end is removed. Then the ring is made to fit on the upper part of the nesting doll and then its lower part can be made. Then the nesting doll's head is turned and the necessary amount of wood is removed from within the nesting doll's head to slip on the upper ring. All these operations do not involve any measurements, and rely only on intuition and require highly professional skills.
The upper part of the nesting doll is stuck on to its lower part. Then it dries and tightens the ring so it sits securely in place. When the turning work is over, a snow white doll is thoroughly cleaned, primed with starchy glue to make the surface ideally smooth and to prevent the paint from making smudges and then dried. Now, the doll is ready to be meticulously hand painted.
It was quite natural in the late 1980s and early 1990s that many Russian professional artists and craftsmen, earlier deprived by certain barriers, began to create nesting dolls. This type of art revealed the energy which had been supressed and preserved for a long time. The nesting doll painting imbibes all bright, fresh elements connected with the renewal and the renaissance of Russian society in the 20th century. It is possible to say that this time has given the world a new type of art - which is now a part of many Russian and Western art collections.
The Nesting doll is an important artistic, cultural and historical event which requires admiration and understanding. It is both sculpture and painting, and the image and soul of Russia.
|
HOME 
Russian Nesting Dolls & Santas
