| Matryoshka (originally taken from the name “Matryona”, in latin the word “Matrona” means the noble lady, mother of the family) is a Russian wooden toy in the form of a painted doll, holding inside it similar types of dolls of smaller size. The number of enclosed dolls is generally six or more.
Matryoshka is one of the most popular souvenirs for foreign tourists coming to Russia.
The origin of Matryoshka
It is said that the Russian matryoshka was designed as per the model brought from Japan. According to some versions, the matryoshka dolls appeared in Russia only after the Russia-Japan war and the return of prisoners of war from Japan to Russia.
The shape of the Russian matryoshka was given by the turner V.P. Zvezdochnik in the 1890s of 19th century, and the professional painter S.M.Malyutin was the first artist behind the painting. From the memoirs of Zvezdochnik, he never saw the Japanese turned toys. Besides that, before the appearance of the matryoshka, Russian craftsmen made wooden Easter eggs, which were detachable and hollow. Therefore, the question about the relation between Japanese and Russian matryoshka remains unanswered.
These days matryoshkas are made in different workshops, like the one in the city of Shatur.
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