Collecting Russian Nesting Dolls

Matroyska dolls, also known as nesting dolls, were introduced in the 1890s in small communities around Moscow, Russia. This regional art form from Russia has become a mainstay for collectors and cultural historians alike, and it was all the rage at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris, France.

Representing motherhood and fertility, the nesting dolls were first produced as didactic toys to teach children how to count, traditional Russian folklore and hand/eye coordination via the process of assembling and disassembling the pieces. Matroyska dolls are expected to be cracked opened like an egg, reassembled carefully, and thoughtfully displayed in a group of five, seven, or more dolls.

The dolls represent folk tales with a narrative being told through images on a group of successive dolls from largest to smallest. The largest doll in the group reflects the beginning of the story and the story continues to be portrayed on each smaller doll until the tiniest doll reveals the story’s finale.

Today, these dolls are popular souvenirs found throughout Russia and Scandinavia. The matroyska is hand-made on a lathe from native woods. The smallest figure in the group is made first and other dolls in the same nesting group are made from the same piece of wood. Master carvers first serve as apprentices to learn how to carve the individual dolls which fit together.  There are training schools reserved solely for the production of matroyska. The dolls are individually painted using layers of egg tempera paint and lacquer. In a group, each doll will have the same facial characteristics. The body is often decorated with genre scenes or folk tales.

Matroyska means “little mother” dolls and the look of the dolls demonstrates the region from which they derive. For instance, Seminova matroyskas are made in the largest nesting doll center located north east of Moscow. These dolls are the most typical style and feature red, yellow, and blue decoration with a red flower on the doll’s abdomen and a yellow bonnet. Other styles have distinct features, too. For instance, the Vjatskaya style is red and green with an opened mouth, the Tver style features bright colors, and the Marijaha style lacks flowers on the doll’s famous apron.

Since the fall of Communism, there has been a revival in the promotion of Russian folk art. Today, matroyskas can be purchased on the streets of St. Petersburg and other big cities as well as in small villages. The quality of the painting is the most important aspect of identifying a high quality matroyska doll. A nesting doll group with a small number of dolls and fine painting will command a higher price than a large set of dolls with only mediocre quality painted images. Today, new collectors may purchase a good matroyska doll for as little as $20 and a masterpiece of the art form for $12,000.

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