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Think of a Russian Doll and what image comes to mind?  Think not only of the colours but also the face.  If you instantly thought of the ‘grandmother’ doll then you would not be alone.  This is the first answer many of our customers give.  This familiarity might also account for the reason why the dolls are also referred to as Babushka dolls.  Some may have guessed the Russian word ‘Babushka’ literally translates in to ‘grandmother’ in English but, how many are familiar with the legend of Babushka?

It’s a story that dates back to the turn of the twentieth century.  In fact, I remember re-enacting the story for one of my school naivety plays.  That was a long time ago so unfortunately I had to re-familiarise myself with the story before telling it here!

The story of Babushka is one that is told to many Russian children on Christmas Eve.  It is a beautiful but very sad story that will fascinate children of all ages.

Once upon a time there lived an old lady who lived beside a crossroads.  She lived a very lonely life with only the passing wagons and the farmers and donkeys to break the silence.  During the long Russian winter, when the roads were too treacherous for the carts to use the lonely old lady had only the sounds of the birds to keep her company.  This sad lady would feed the birds her left over crumbs of bread to pass away the hours.

The winter nights are very long in Russia.  Because Babushka was so old and frail she did not have the strength to cut the wood to heat her home.  She had no money either so could not afford to buy the candles to light up her home.  She would spend her winter nights in her dark, cold and lonely cottage dreaming of the summer nights and the people she would meet.

One night when Babushka was trying to sleep she heard a tingling noise outside.  “It must be the icicles on the trees” the lady said to herself.  There was another tingle only this time it was louder than before.  There were no carts or farmers around so from where could this sound be coming?  The tingling grew louder and to her surprise Babushka could hear voices and grunts coming from animals.  I wonder what is happening outside? thought Babushka.

Babushka pulled back her quilt and lit the very last candle she owned.  Wrapping a scarf around her head she held her candle to the window.  Before she could see outside there was a knock at the door.  Knock.  Knock.  Knock.  Who could it be?  Babushka opened the door and was surprised to see a caravan parked outside.  There were also three large animals the likes of which Babushka had never seen before.  They were very strange and almost looked like they had come from another world!  Each of these beasts was very tall and had very large humps in their backs.  Their feet were padded with lots of fur and each one was as large as two grown-ups feet!  On the back of these beasts sat three very rich men.  They wore fur wraps and crowns that Babushka could not afford…she had only heard of such things in fairy tales!

Why were these men here?  Why did they stop to speak to Babushka?

One of the men whispered some words in to the ear of beast he rode.  The beast instantly knelt to allow the man to step off.  “We are kings from a long far away” he told Babushka.  “This evening we have seen the brightest star ever to appear in the sky and this will lead us to a newborn baby.  But the star is lost behind the clouds and we need shelter for tonight.  Where is the next village?”.

For the men to travel so far in freezing cold and snow this baby must be very important!  So, Babushka asked “Who is this child?”.  “The child is a Kind and we will find him with our gifts,” replied the man.  “Please, come with us to meet this very special child”.  Babushka wanted to go with the men but she was an old lady and didn’t like the cold.  When she was a young woman Babushka would have joined the men on their journey to see this special child.  But tonight, she simply could not.

After Babushka declined to join the men they rode off into the distance.  The noise of the bells attached to the reigns of the beasts disappeared in to the night.  Once again there was silence and the Babushka felt alone once more.  Why did I not go?  The old lady asked herself.  She had no company where she lived and would have had fun on the adventure.

No!  I must join the men, Babushka told herself.  She wrapped herself up nice and warm and filled her basket with breads and sweets to give to this newborn King.  The men were heading to the next village perhaps she would find them there?  Babushka walked through many villages for many hours but could not find the men.  The villagers could not help her and eventually when daylight broke through the clouds Babushka fell asleep.

Many, many years have passed since the night Babushka met the three men.  The baby would have been born many years ago and would today be a man.  However, to Babushka it still feels like she was visited only yesterday and so she still seeks this special baby.  Every Christmas Eve she searches through every nursery looking for this child.  If you look closely you may see a tear on their pillow left by Babushka when she realises the child is not the one she seeks.

I hope you agree, this is a beautiful and poignant story.

Gary Mullen from Russian Dolls.

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I was looking around the internet this morning for inspiration on an article to write about Russian dolls.  Searching through Google Russia I hit a dead end.  It was only when I did a search in the UK that I came across the most extraordinary thing!  Images of a beautiful square (Taowa Square) covered with matryoshka buildings and shops within the square selling more matryoshka than most of us have had hot dinners!

Surprisingly, matryoshka square is in the Chinese city of Manzhouli and not in Russia as one may have expected.  As you can see from the photograph above, visitors are greeted with a truly striking site on their approach to the square.  The Russian doll in the centre holds the world record as the largest in the world measuring an amazing 30 metres (98 feet) tall!

When visitors reach the centre of the square they can see the stunning artwork painted upon each of the matryoshka.  Interestingly, each of the Russian dolls are painted with the images of Russian, Chinese and Mongolian girls to reflect the ethnicities in the region (the city borders both Russia and Mongolia).

As well as the three larger Russian dolls to be seen there are over 200 other dolls, each decorated with paintings of famous people from around the world.  Even the gift shops are in the shape of nesting dolls and, well, you don’t really need me to tell you what they sell!

The square has been open since 2006 and is a must-see attraction for anyone fascinated with Russian dolls.  To make visits extra memorable, there is a light and fountain show in the square every evening at 9pm.  I can imagine this must make for a great experience seeing the dolls come to life under the lights!

I myself would love to visit this city…now it’s just a case of trying to find some money to get there!

Written by Gary Mullen, Russian Dolls.

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Images supplied courtesy of Sina.com.

As something that appeals to a wide range of people, it’s only natural there be a wide variety of styles of Russian Dolls to cater for varying tastes. As well as needing to appeal to a spectrum of different people, the style of Russian Dolls also varies depending upon the personal style of the artist that paints them. This guarantees that there is a great choice of dolls available in the marketplace for the consumer, each with it’s own unique theme. There are thousands of different painting designs available, however most of them will belong to one of the following themes:

Traditional The Russian dolls that probably most people are familiar with. These are usually painted with the face of a female with a body painted with pretty floral patterns.

Animals Russian dolls painted with the images of animals can go with a cartoon feel or, a realistic painted image (left).

Christmas Obviously popular during the winter months, Russian Dolls painted with a Christmas theme feature the paintings of anything traditionally associated with the festive season. For example, these Santa Russian Dolls.

Musicians For music fans they can find Russian Dolls of their favourite artist or band. For example, these sets of Beatles Russian Dolls are popular throughout the world.

Television and Films Russian Dolls featuring the images of iconic figures associated with television and film are widely available. These Charlie Chaplin dolls are an example of Russian Dolls from this genre.

Religion No matter what the religion, you’re almost sure to find a Russian Doll depicting something from yours. These Christian themed Russian Dolls are an example.

Political Especially popular during the Soviet era, political Russian dolls are still some of the most popular available.

Sports Russian Dolls featuring the images of sports people and events are easy to find. They are more prominent during high-profile events such as the world cup and Olympics.

I’m sure there are many other styles of Russian Dolls that are available to collect however, I think these cover the most popular themes. If you can think of some dolls that have not been covered or, would like to comment on this post then it would be great if you could share your thoughts and post a comment below.

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Images supplied by: greatrussiagifts.com, ladyoksanablog.com, listsgalore.blogspot.com, nesting-dolls.blogspot.com

Located around 45 miles from Moscow, Sergiev Posad is a beautiful city which is noted for, amongst other things, it’s beautiful buildings and as the birthplace of Russian Dolls (also known as Matryoshka). This article will explore two of the most important buildings in the city and also why the city is considered the toy-making capital of Russia.

Sergiev Posad is home to the most important of all the Russian monasteries. The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is a grand building which dates back to 1345 where it was built by one of the most respected Russian saints, Sergius of Randonezh. The monastery quickly became one of the most important in Russia and is now the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. From its humble beginnings in 1345 the monastery was extended over the centuries with the most notable addition being the Assumption Cathedral which was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in 1559. This Cathedral took over twenty-six years to construct and today houses over 300 monks.

View of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius

Another important building in Sergiev Posad is the Museum of Toys. This museum celebrates a city which has risen to become the largest wooden toy producer in Russia. The city has been producing wood carvings and toys for centuries and some of these toys are exhibited in the museum. Perhaps the most famous of the toys are Russian dolls. These dolls were invented by a painter who worked in a crafts workshop in the city. These very first Russian dolls can today be seen at the museum which first opened in 1918.

After the first Russian dolls were produced they became instantly popular and were in demand throughout the rest of the country. This saw production of all toys within Sergiev Posad boom during the nineteenth century with the city housing thousands of craftspeople producing all kinds of toys (including Russian dolls). Today, the dolls are as popular as ever and there are still thousands of craftspeople in the city who are involved with making the toys. In fact, there are still two working toy factories in the city and even special schools that train their students on the art of making Russian dolls.

Many of the toys are produced in these factories but, perhaps even more are made from those craftspeople that work in their own homes. One such lady is our friend, Elena Beytane. Working from her home in the city, Elena has been making her Russian dolls since she was a teenager. Like most of the craftspeople in the city, she lets her emotions guide the style of painting for each doll. For those craftspeople that create Russian dolls, they believe that by letting their emotions guide their work then each doll actually becomes an extension of themselves. This ensures that each Russian doll is unique to that artist and no two dolls are ever the same.

Sergiev Posad is an important city in Russia. It is not only the home of the Russian Orthodox Church but is also home to the largest toy producing city in the country, producing crafts that both young and old enjoy.

Please follow the link if you would like to see some of Elena’s Russian dolls.

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Many people often ask me how Russian matryoshka dolls are made. With their fascinating artwork and construction the dolls have intrigued many of my customers. So, I thought it was time to share how the matryoshka are produced. And, you may be surprised at just how much work goes into each set!

An artist at work on her dolls

The first preparations actually start years before the dolls are to be made. The tree from which the dolls are produced (usually lime, birch, aspen or larch) needs to be straight, without any knots and cut down in early autumn or winter, so it holds as little sap as possible. The trunk is then stored to allow it to dry which usually takes 2-3 years. During this drying the Russian dolls are carved to ensure that, once dry, the top and bottom half of each doll fit together perfectly.

When the drying process has been completed the Russian dolls are ready to be grained and primed. After this, all the fun creative things can happen! The artist will first draw with pencil the eyes, face and clothing on each doll. When the drawing has been completed the artist will check their work to ensure it meets their quality standards. If not, the doll is then redrawn until the artist is satisfied. After the drawings are finished the artist will then use acrylic paint to complete the doll and give it its individual character. Occasionally, a pattern is burned into the doll before it is painted.

A lacquer is then applied to each Russian doll to protect it from discolouration. This ensures that the doll will age well and the quality will not deteriorate over time. The lacquer also protects the dolls from dust and gives them a fine sheen.

When buying a Russian doll the quality of its craftsmanship should be examined. Each doll should fit into one another easily and each half of the doll should require a little force to separate them. If the dolls do this then they have been well made.

There are thousands of different Russian dolls available around the world. Each with its own unique artist, character and feel. Please follow the link if you would like to see some of Russian Dolls stocked at HandcraftedUK.

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The Beginning

During the 1890′s a painter of Russian folk crafts, Sergei Maliutin produced the world’s first matryoshka doll. He was inspired to make the dolls as, when visiting the Japanese island of Honsu he came into possession of the Japanese ‘fukuruma’ doll. These dolls depicted an old Japanese man doll which inside contained nesting dolls which decreased in size. Maliutin decided to draw a Russian version of the doll in his workplace ‘The Children’s Education Workshop’ on the Abramtsevo estate. This workshop was owned by Savva Mamontov. The name of the dolls comes from the Russian name ‘Matryona’ which was a popular name for peasant women in old Russia. After his death, Mamontov’s wife exhibited the first matryoshka dolls during the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris. The dolls were instantly popular and earned a bronze medal from the exhibition. This ensured that Russian dolls became well known throughout the world and demand for them increased.

An example of some Russian Dolls

After the World Exhibition

The Children’s Education Workshop was closed soon after the first matryoshka’s were made so production of the dolls moved to the city of Sergiev-Posad. Here the dolls were made in many different styles and the images on them can reflect a time in history. For example, during the Soviet Union era many Russian dolls were painted with images of Soviet leaders. The size of each doll would often correspond to how long each leader had been in power. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many different images appeared on the dolls including people, animals and nature.

The dolls have become associated with fertility and motherhood. It is not uncommon to see a smiling mother-like figure as the large doll with her children contained inside her.

The dolls which started out in a small workshop in Russia have are now proving popular throughout the world. With their interesting history and varied styles the matryoshka doll has been embraced across different cultures.

Please check out our range of Russian Dolls.

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