History of Traditional Russian Dolls

It was considered that Matryoshka was a traditional Russian doll. However, actually this toy came to Russia from Japan in the last century.

Russian artist Sergey Vasilyevich Malyutin saw the dolls during his travels to Japan. He copied the style, painting them in traditional Russian village style. Then after his return to Russia he showed his variant of the Japanese toy to his friends. They liked it very much and also began producing the dolls. So, the doll became widespread very quickly.

In 1900, Mamontov's wife presented the dolls at the world Exhibition in Paris, where they earned a bronze medal. Soon after, matryoshka dolls were being made in several places in Russia.

Soon there were many different schools of making Matryoshka. The most famous of these was the school in Sergiyev Posad (currently Zagorsk town located close to Moscow) and it is still remaining the most famous. The masters from that place use very special techniques: they burn out a pattern on the wood surface of the toy and then paint small pictures from Russian peasant life there and afterwards cover it with gold.

In other schools, Matryoshka is simply painted with colours but of course different masters insert their own style and peculiarities in the painting process. Before the Matryoshka can be painted they are dipped into a special starch liquid, necessary to prevent the paints from being washed out.

There are many other toys made in the same way but different in forms: domestic animals, kings and princesses with big crowns and so on. Currently you can see Matryoshka painted as political leaders such as Gorbachyov, Yeltsin, Stalin