 |
Joan Bramsch Welcomes You to  A Child-safe site for the encouragement and support of parents and families around the world |
|
   Home
 Who Is JoanBramsch? 
SHOPPING Online Parent Ezine
Help 4 Parents Help 4 Teens Games 4 All Li'l BullyAudio story Family Articles Stories to ReadTribute to Bill Like This Site? Let your friends know. Click here. |
RUSSIAN MATRYUSHKA NESTING DOLLSA Puzzle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Enigma!by Joan Bramsch  Photographs by Lynne Payne, showing some of her 60-set nesting doll collection There is some controversy about the name "Matryushka." Some linguists say the origin of the word goes back to an old-fashion name Matriona, common among peasantry. The first four letters of matryushka - "Matr" - has Latin roots, but also comes from the Russian word for Mother - a whole different meaning. So the nesting dolls represent both the national motherland and actual motherhood and fertility; that's why they are traditionally painted like women, round figured females with babies inside. On the other hand, the idea of nesting dolls may have come from the legendary idol called Jumala from the Ural Mountains. It was made of gold, and was hollowed out to hold three smaller idol figures. 
The present day nesting doll concept continues to be popular in Russia after years of being the national toy and a favorite tourist souvenir. Designs constantly change and evolve to relfect the times. For example, during the Victorian era, to overcome the Modernism art form present at the turn of the Century, the crafts people painted the dolls in pastel peasant colors and added country designs like a rooster or a loaf of bread in artful illustrations over the costume. The first fine-art Russian matryushkas were made in the prestigious art center within the walls of the Sergei-Posan monastery, famous since the 14th Century for its art, in Zagorsk, 50 miles north of Moscow. These nesting dolls are highly professional and original, created in good taste and a variety of themes. The techniques used are also diverse - from dab painting to other artistic devices like icon painting. The gilded domed monastery complex is still a feast for the visitor's eyes. Within these grand buildings there exists a toy museum, opened in 1918 and filled with evolutionary examples of the nesting doll, from peasant women to noble ladies and hussars. Nearby, vendors in an open market sell a wide variety of matryushkas to tourists and natives alike. Merchants offer the traditional dolls, as well as, ones with exquisite icon paintings on the sides. They even sell Disney and O.J. Simpson designs!  The Semjonov village art school characterizes their matryushka dolls, which are taller and slimmer than the short Sergiev Posad doll, by fine and specific graphic techniques which turn bright floral designs into elegant ones. This technique produces an embroidery lace effect around the apron and shawl.  This condition imposes severe restrictions on the artist because that individual person assumes complete responsibility over every piece and every part of the process. If s/he makes one mistake, a set can be ruined, even if it's almost finished, which could have taken months of work. And, indeed, some of the more complex dolls are very collectible because the artist can only make a few in a year's time! Generally speaking, matryushkas can contain from three to thirty pieces in a set that may take from five days to 18 months of work to complete. Prices range from $10US to more than $1200US.  Religious themes were considered very desirable for the matryushkas until the Romanov royal court was overthrown and the country fell to communism. After that, in addition to the peasant mother dolls, and to replace the 'missing' religious icon dolls, political leaders, literary giants and sylvan scenes were usually incorporated into the designs. Of course, today golden haloed religious icons are again created upon nesting dolls. Matryushkas range in size from 3/16 inch miniatures up to giants of four-feet or more. Most have three to ten pieces, but some unique examples have as many as forty nesting dolls, one within the other. Modern day nesting dolls come in a great variety. Art dolls are the typical, traditional floral matryushkas, each a work of an individual artist. They seem to boast an endless variety of colors and patterns, some more complicated than others. They are created with a main color theme - red, green or blue - and the face painting uses the light color of the natural wood along with delicate paint and lacquer for a realistic look.  Russian Writers dolls show the fine-art likeness of the authors of great Russian literature. On the back of each doll is a landscape described in that particular Russian novel. Studying matryushkas is always interesting and instructive. Gathering a collection and learning the backgrounds of the art work provides information about the history of Russian national costume, and Russian political history, art, literature, architecture and music. The complexity of matryushka design, from long before the Victorian age to present day, lends itself to more dedicated collectors and connoisseurs of definite styles. These collectibles will continue to grow and become more desirable now that the Iron Curtain has fallen and different examples of this type Russian art has become more readily available. With reasonable care the matryushka can be handed down through family generations, an heirloom art piece. That is, unless you're more interested in Russian Papier-Mache lacquer boxes costing between $150 to $20,000. But that's another story. Happy Collecting!
BOOKS ABOUT COLLECTING MATRYUSHKASA Collector's Guide to Nesting Dolls: Histories, Identification, Values" by |
|
JOIN THE NEWSLETTER Simply Click This Link and send a blank email PRIVACY STATEMENT |
MAILING ADDRESS: JB Information Station P. O. Box 16333 St. Louis MO, 63125 |
TELEPHONE: 314-638-3404 NOON TO 9:00 PM CST |
 |
 |
 |