Frequently Asked Questions about Nesting Dolls
What are Babushka Dolls?
Customers often ask in our store “what are nesting dolls called?” Matryoshka is the proper common Russian name; but some folks call them “babushka dolls”. Babushka in Russian means old woman or grandmother, but in some way babushka has also become synonymous with matryoshka, for the famous stackable nesting doll sets produced there. Perhaps since often the first doll of a Russian stackable doll set is indeed a grandmotherly figure, and babushka was easier to pronounce, but the term babushka became often erroneously used. At any rate, matryoshka Russian wooden dolls, and Russian stacking dolls are all terms describing this wonderful and traditional made-in-Russia folk-art form, most commonly just known as nesting dolls.
How are Russian Nesting Dolls Made?
There were and are actual factories that produce many of the colorful less-expensive nesting dolls, like the famous Semenov dolls, but perhaps more are handcrafted by small co-operatives and individual artists in and around the villages.
Many small woodworking shops produce the nesting doll blanks, which are turned on a lathe out of kiln-dried linden-wood, and then these shops supply this blank nesting doll wooden "underwear" to the art community who does the painting and creates these stackable nesting dolls in a wide variety of styles, colors, and themes. Usually sets of 3, 5, or 7 pieces are common in the less expensive souvenir styles. To keep the costs down, an assembly line approach can be utilized, such as having one artist paint the faces, another do the costumes and perhaps a third doing the lacquer work. An even less expensive approach might find the makers using stencils or gluing cutouts of famous churches, icons, or other Russian themed pictures to expedite the process. Some dolls can be done with a wood-burning tool; and other artists apply gold or silver foil as highlights. The variety of doll-within-a-doll Russian Matryoshka doll sets is endless, and nesting doll gifts are traditional as Russian souvenirs and collectible Russian art.
What is the Value of Russian Nesting Dolls?
It is important to know that like any art form, the painted folk-art of an authentic traditional Russian nesting doll set is valued by many factors. Simply, the higher the quality of the matryoshka, the higher the price. Many examples of traditional matryoshka dolls , including nesting dolls for kids, can be purchased for well under $30, and these are great Russian souvenirs. However, the most expensive nesting dolls of higher museum quality, finer detailed, one of a kind sets sell according to the quality of the art, and the supply and demand for the best artist’s work. Consider hand-painted vs stencil-work, factory-produced vs individual-artist produced, lacquer vs wood-burned, rough vs fine detail and other variables when selecting a matryoshka. Some individual Russian matryoshka doll artists create a very limited number of nesting dolls, and certain artists may be in higher demand than others due to color, theme and technical qualities. The Russian American Company in Sitka Alaska imports directly from Russia, and offers the best quality and best prices anywhere in America.
Russian Nesting Dolls History
Perhaps originating in the Orient where some forms of nesting dolls were also traditional, the Matryoshka doll really became a Russian art form in the late 1800’s. The name Matryoshka (little matron in Russian) comes from the female name Matrona, and most often the first and largest doll is a female “mother” or matriarch. From an early age, Russian children have used these nesting dolls as counting toys or puzzles, and most every family has some form of stacking doll in their houses.
As the USSR collapsed, and western travelers began to arrive in great numbers into St Petersburg, Moscow, and the Golden Ring cities near these two metropolitan centers, thriving souvenir markets sprung up near churches, museums, and the major tourist attractions. And the one souvenir from Russia every tourist wants is a stacking doll!
As these tourism markets in Russia opened up, a higher-quality of painting began to appear in Matryoshka doll art form, and some highly trained artists began creating their own themes and styles of finely detailed nesting dolls, some commanding hundreds or even thousands of dollars per set from sophisticated stacking doll collectors.
Today, from the simple art of a 3-piece factory Semenov nesting doll, to the exquisite detail of a one-of-a-kind 25 piece art doll, the traditional Russian nesting doll can be found for any collection and for any budget.
Authentic Russian Nesting Doll Artists
Artists in Russia that create matryoshka dolls come from many backgrounds. Some are trained in classical art and may have attended the very best art schools to learn painting history and technique, have then applied their talents to creating their fine art in stacking doll formats. Others may be self-taught hobbyists that create only a few sets in a year. The preparation time, uniqueness, detail and quality, much like in any art-form really dictates the the value, price, and collectability. Consider that each nesting doll creation at this level are much like an original painting done for display on a wall, except that there may be 10 or more original paintings in a set! Therefore, each artist may offer different themes or colors, and may prefer watercolors, oils, or other paints, and may become known and collectible for their unique nesting doll art.
Favorite Nesting Doll Art Themes for Matryoshka Collectors
After over 40 years of importing and selling authentic traditional Russian nesting doll sets, we find that there are themes and paintings on these dolls that appeal to the serious collectors as well as casual gift buyer. Perhaps the most traditional in Russia are the doll sets that feature famous Russian Fairy tales like the Frog Prince, Ivan and the Grey Wolf, the Scarlet Flower, or the Tales of Copper Mountain. Another favorite collectible nesting doll scene is presenting the unique architecture of famous Russian orthodox churches, with a different church on every doll. Of course cat themed nesting doll sets are ever popular, as are scenes of nature and animals like the Russian bear doll sets or Alaskan animal nesting doll sets. And who could forget Christmas stacking dolls with our Santa matryoshkas, nutcracker matryoshkas and nativity nesting doll sets! Even portraits can be found on nesting dolls, and some of the more unique sets might feature political figures made famous by the “Gorby dolls” named after sets featuring Russian leader Gorbachev. Newer Russian political nesting doll sets are now featuring Putin; and we even have a selection of President Trump nesting dolls for the collector of these political themed nesting dolls. Whatever your specialty as a collector, you will find an authentic traditional Russian nesting doll set to fit your taste, with affordable prices to fit any budget.
Russian Nesting Doll Art from the Russian American Company, Sitka Alaska
Each art-quality nesting doll that is featured at the Russian American Company store in Sitka Alaska or on our website has been hand-selected, commissioned, and imported directly from the artists in Russia for over 20 years. Many of our artists create only a handful of these exquisite high-quality matryoshka dolls a year (and may supply them exclusively only to our store) and it is not unusual for the best of our artists to be in high demand. We specialize in art-quality nesting dolls and represent the very best of the matryoshka doll art form. If you are considering a limited edition or one-of-a-kind set to add to your collection or are interested in Russian made Alaskan themed dolls to give as a gift, please look over our ever-changing selection. We specialize in unique art-quality nesting dolls and represent the very best of the Russian stacking doll art form. If you are considering a one-of-a-kind museum quality set, we are proud to represent the best that Russia has to offer.
