Inexperienced, but also experienced foreign tourist First of all, he brings matryoshka dolls from Russia. It has long become a symbol of our country, along with vodka, the bear and similar clichés that have developed in mass consciousness. On the other hand, the Russian nesting doll is a brilliant example of folk talent, weakly susceptible to the influence of mass culture.
History of the Russian nesting doll
The most amazing thing is that until the end of the 19th century there were no nesting dolls in Russia at all. In the second half of the century Great Reform Alexander II is bearing fruit: industry is booming, construction is underway railways. At the same time the level increases national identity, interest in national history and culture appears, folk crafts are being revived. Since the 60s of the 19th century, a new branch of fine arts began to take shape, called the “Russian style”. IN Soviet era it was contemptuously called “pseudo-Russian” or even “rooster” style - after the carved and embroidered “roosters” - a favorite motif of the artist and architect I.P. Ropet. Many famous artists, including V.M. Vasnetsova, K.A. Somova, M.A. Vrubel, V.A. Serov, F.A. Malyavin, K.A. Korovin, S.V. Malyutin, E.D. Polenov most actively participated in the creation of the Russian style in art. They were supported famous philanthropists: Savva Ivanovich Mamontov is the creator of the Abramtsevo artistic circle, who invited these painters to his Abramtsevo estate near Moscow. At Mamontov's, the artists discussed the ways of developing Russian art and created it right there, on the spot. The Mamontovs also tried to revive ancient folk crafts and collected folk art, including peasant toys. Savva Ivanovich’s brother, Anatoly Ivanovich Mamontov, was the owner of the shop-workshop “ Children's education».
A.I. Mamontov hired highly qualified toy artisans and demanded from them a non-standard approach when making toys. To expand the horizons of the craftsmen and develop their creative imagination, the workshop ordered samples of toys from different countries of the world. At this time, there was an increased interest in oriental, especially Japanese, art. Exhibition Japanese art, which took place in St. Petersburg in the second half of the 90s, contributed greatly to the emergence and development of the fashion for “everything Japanese.” 
Among the exhibits at this exhibition was a figurine of the Buddhist sage Fukurumu, a good-natured bald old man, into which several more wooden figurines were inserted. The Fukurumu figurine was brought from the island of Honshu; according to Japanese legend, such a figurine was first carved by a certain Russian monk who came to Japan through unknown means. It is believed that the Fukurumu figurine became the prototype of the Russian nesting doll.
Author of the Russian nesting doll
The author of the first Russian nesting doll is unknown, but its appearance was predetermined by the widespread interest in national art in all spheres of society, the desire of the owner and craftsmen of the “Children’s Education” shop-workshop to interest the public, to create something new and unusual in the Russian spirit. Finally, the appearance of the Fukurumu figurine at an exhibition of Japanese art became a kind of precise crystallization of this idea.
The first Russian nesting doll was carved in the workshop of A.I. Mamontov. There is a stamp on it: “Children’s education.” It was carved by the hereditary toy maker Vasily Petrovich Zvezdochkin, and painted by S.V. Malyutin, who collaborated with A.I. Mamontov, illustrating children's books.
Why is the nesting doll called that?
The name “matryoshka” for the wooden detachable painted figurine turned out to be just right. In the old Russian province, the name Matryona was one of the most common and beloved female names. This name comes from the Latin “mater”, which means “mother”. The name Matryona evokes the image of a real Russian woman, the mother of numerous children, with real peasant health and a typical portly figure.
The first Russian nesting doll looked something like this. Vasily Zvezdochkin carved the first Russian nesting doll. It was painted by Sergei Malyutin. It consisted of 8 places: a girl with a black rooster, then a boy, followed by a girl again, etc. The artist painted all the figures differently, and the last one depicted a swaddled baby.
What is the Russian nesting doll made of?
Matryoshka dolls are usually cut from linden, birch, alder and aspen. Harder and more durable conifers are not used for such “pampering”. The best material for making nesting dolls is linden. The wood from which the nesting dolls will be cut is harvested in the spring, usually in April, when the wood is sap. The tree is cleared of bark, making sure to leave rings of bark on the trunk, otherwise it will crack when drying. The logs are stacked, leaving an air gap between them. The wood is kept outdoors for two years or more. Only an experienced carver can determine the degree of readiness of the material. A turner performs up to 15 operations on a linden block before it becomes a finished matryoshka doll.
The very first thing to carve is a small one-piece figure. For opening nesting dolls, the lower part, the bottom, is first carved out. After turning, the wooden doll is thoroughly cleaned and primed with paste, achieving a perfectly smooth surface. After priming, the matryoshka is ready for painting.
The first-born in the production of nesting dolls was the “Children’s Education” workshop, and after its closure this craft was mastered in Sergiev Posad. The local craftsmen created their own type of nesting doll, which to this day is called Sergiev Posad.
Russian doll painting
In 1900, the Russian nesting doll was presented at the World Exhibition in Paris, where it received a medal and world fame. At the same time, international orders came in, which only highly qualified craftsmen from Sergiev Posad could complete. V. Zvezdochkin also came to work in the workshop of this city. 
The first Russian nesting dolls were very diverse in both shape and painting. Among the early Sergiev Posad examples, in addition to girls in Russian sundresses with baskets, sickles, bouquets of flowers, or in winter sheepskin coats with a shawl on their heads, there are often male characters: the bride and groom holding wedding candles in their hands, a shepherd boy with a pipe, an old man with a beard. Sometimes a nesting doll represented a whole family with numerous children and household members. 
The fashionable Russian style led to the appearance of the historical matryoshka doll depicting boyars and boyars, representatives of the Russian nobility, and epic heroes. The decoration of the matryoshka was influenced by various memorable dates, for example, the centenary of the birth of N.V. Gogol, celebrated in 1909. For the anniversary, a series of nesting dolls based on the writer’s works (“Taras Bulba”, “Plyushkin”, “Governor”) was made.
Matryoshka “Taras Bulba” On the 100th anniversary of the War of 1812, nesting dolls depicting M.I. Kutuzov and Napoleon appeared, inside which figures of Russian and French military leaders were placed.
Very popular were nesting dolls painted based on fairy tales, legends and even fables: “Tsar Dodon” and “Swan Princess” from the fairy tales of A.S. Pushkin, “The Little Humpbacked Horse” from the fairy tale by P.P. Ershov, characters from I.A. Krylov’s fables. In Sergiev Posad they also made nesting dolls decorated with burning. Usually, burning was used to create an ornamental pattern throughout the entire matryoshka, its clothes, face, hands, scarf and hair.
International recognition of the Russian nesting doll
The matryoshka doll receives international recognition: in 1905, a store was opened in Paris, which immediately received an order for the production of a batch of boyar dolls. In 1911, Sergiev Posad craftsmen completed orders from 14 countries. The price list of the Sergiev Zemstvo educational and demonstration workshop in 1911 listed twenty-one types of nesting dolls. They differed in painting, size, and number of inserts. Sergiev Posad nesting dolls had from 2 to 24 inserts. In 1913, turner N. Bulychev turned a 48-seater matryoshka doll specifically for the toy exhibition held in St. Petersburg.
Sergiev Posad nesting dolls
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the turner played a fairly important role in the creation of matryoshka dolls, turning figures with the thinnest walls. At this time, the carvers reasonably considered themselves the authors of the nesting dolls, and the painting of the nesting dolls played minor role. Professional artists who painted the first toys did not take this activity particularly seriously.
The largest Sergiev Posad nesting doll was turned by turner Mokeev in 1967. It consists of 60 (!) places. The matryoshka doll from Sergiev Posad is distinguished by its squat shape, the top smoothly transitioning into the expanding lower part of the figure, painted with gouache and varnished. The preferred proportion of the nesting doll is 1:2 - this is the ratio of the width of the nesting doll to its height.
Semyonovskaya matryoshka
The enormous popularity of the Sergiev Posad matryoshka doll has led to the emergence of competition. Craftsmen from other places could see the new product at fairs, especially at the largest one in the country, Nizhny Novgorod. Sergiev Posad nesting dolls attracted the attention of Nizhny Novgorod toy carvers. In the Nizhny Novgorod province, a large artisanal center for the production of nesting dolls appears - the city of Semenov (after which the nesting doll is called Semenovskaya).
The traditions of painting Semyonovskaya nesting dolls originate from the hereditary toy makers Mayorovs from the village of Merinovo. The village is located near Semenov. In 1922, Arsenty Fedorovich Mayorov brought from Nizhny Novgorod unpainted Sergiev Posad matryoshka doll. His eldest daughter Lyuba quill pen I applied a design to the nesting doll and painted it with a brush with aniline paints. On her head she depicted a Russian kokoshnik, and in the center she placed a bright scarlet flower, similar to a daisy.
For almost 20 years, Merinovo nesting doll makers took first place among masters Nizhny Novgorod region for 20 years.
Painting of the Semenovskaya nesting doll, which is brighter and more decorative compared to the Sergiev Posad one. The painting of Semenov's nesting dolls originates in folk traditions"herbal" ornament Ancient Rus'. The Semyonov craftsmen left more unpainted surfaces; they use more modern aniline paints, also varnished.
The basis of the composition in painting a Semenovskaya nesting doll is an apron on which a lush bouquet of flowers is depicted. Modern masters create paintings in three colors - red, blue and yellow. They change the color combination of the apron, sundress and scarf. Traditionally, the bouquet on the apron is written not in the center, but slightly shifted to the right. Semyonovsk turners came up with a special form of matryoshka dolls. She, unlike the Sergiev Posad one, is slimmer. Its upper part, relatively thin, abruptly turns into a thickened lower part.
The Semenovskaya matryoshka differs from others in that it is multi-place and consists of 15-18 multi-colored figures. It was in Semyonov that the largest 72-seat nesting doll was carved. Its diameter is half a meter and its height is 1 meter.
Semyonov is considered the largest center for creating nesting dolls in Russia.
Matryoshka from Polkhovsky Maidan
In the southwest of the Nizhny Novgorod region there is another famous center for the production and painting of nesting dolls - the village of Polkhovsky Maidan.
This is an ancient artisanal center, whose residents specialized in wood carving and making wooden toys. The first Polkhov nesting dolls, made following the example of the Sergiev Posad ones, were finished with burning. Later local residents They began to paint them using floral patterns. The masters of Polkhovsky Maidan, as well as Semenov, paint with aniline paints. Color
The Polkhovsko-Maidanovskaya matryoshka doll is distinguished by an even brighter, sonorous color scheme and larger painting.
The style of the Polkhov-Maidan matryoshka belongs to the so-called. peasant primitiveness, its painting resembles children's drawing., The artists of Polkhovsky Maidan, like the masters of Semenov, pay the main attention to floral painting on the apron, omitting all the everyday details of the costume.
The main motif of their painting is a multi-petal rose hip flower (“rose”). This flower has long been considered a symbol of femininity, love and motherhood. The image of a “rose” is necessarily present in any version of the painting created by the masters of the Polkhov Maidan.
Matryoshka doll inlaid with straws
The Vyatka nesting doll is the northernmost of all Russian nesting dolls. It gained special originality in the 60s of the twentieth century. Then they began to not only paint the nesting dolls, but also inlay them with straws. This is a very complex, painstaking work, including preparation special type straw and its use in decorating a wooden figurine. Straw inlay makes Vyatka products unique.
Author's doll
From the late 80s, early 90s of the 20th century begins new stage in the development of the art of matryoshka - the so-called period of the author's matryoshka. Political and economic changes known as Gorbachev’s “perestroika” aroused great interest in the world in Russian culture, its original, popular origin. Economic changes made it possible to open private workshops. The master craftsman was able to freely sell his products, as it was 100 years ago.
Among those who willingly began painting nesting dolls were professional artists. The standard, identical nesting dolls that developed during Soviet times have been replaced by a new, original one. First of all, the nesting dolls returned the thematic diversity in painting that existed in the early Sergiev Posad period.
Modern matryoshka
A characteristic feature of the modern author's nesting doll is its extraordinary picturesqueness. Its design looks like a flowery fabric and creates a festive mood. One of the main themes of the painting is the surrounding world. Many artists turn to motifs from Russian history - from the campaign of Prince Igor to modern history. It turned out that the nesting doll contains enormous potential for conveying events unfolding in time and space. This movement seems to appear before our eyes and, just before our eyes, can be “rolled up and put away” in a matryoshka case.
Let's say, the so-called political matryoshka represents a portrait gallery of Russian sovereigns, domestic and foreign statesmen. Matryoshka dolls depicting modern politicians are more like good caricatures - a tradition coming from early period matryoshka development. Known, for example, is a cartoon matryoshka doll painted by V.A. Serov. S.I. Mamontov, V.A. Serov himself, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov and other participants in Mamontov’s theatrical productions were presented in Turkish costumes.
“Subordination” in a political doll is expressed very clearly. 
It is worth mentioning that for the inauguration of Bill Clinton in Russia, nesting dolls depicting the future US president and his closest associates were specially ordered. 
Sometimes only one fairy tale is illustrated on one doll, sometimes on each of the inserted dolls we will see heroes different fairy tales, folk or author's - Pushkin, Ershov, Aksakov, Tolstoy, etc. What is not a wonderful book of fairy tales, the plot of which is suggested by illustrations, the logical sequence of which is gradually revealed on each of the figures? And, as in the book, the artist-author’s plan can be traced; in contrast, the scope of children’s imagination opens up.
Russian matryoshka. Architectural painting
Very often, artists paint architectural monuments on matryoshka aprons. Such a matryoshka - best souvenir, it will remind you of visiting a particular place. The ensemble of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, architectural monuments of Moscow, Vladimir, Suzdal, Novgorod and many other Russian cities are often found in the matryoshka ornament.
You can often find matryoshka dolls painted with “Gzhel”, “Zhostovo”, “Khokhloma”, “Palekh”. In other words, the modern matryoshka seems to concentrate all the wealth artistic traditions Russian applied art.
The author's nesting doll can rightfully be considered a new form of art, which has enriched the world's artistic heritage and has become a desirable collector's item for museums and private collectors.
Matryoshka is a big phenomenon artistic value, this work is both sculptural and pictorial, it is the soul and image of Russia.
We are all familiar with the matryoshka doll - a wooden folding doll that has long become a symbol of Russian folk art and traditional souvenir, which is customary to buy in Russia. But parents should pay attention to the nesting doll as a unique educational toy that is definitely worth purchasing for a child. The matryoshka is simple, like everything ingenious, but this makes it no less interesting for children.
Matryoshka: description of the toy
A traditional matryoshka is a painted wooden doll with smaller dolls nested inside it. The shape of the nesting doll is close to the shape of an egg, and the toy has a flat bottom for stability. Each doll, except the very last one, is disassembled into two parts - upper and lower. There are usually at least three dolls in a nesting doll. There are souvenir options of 20, 30 and even 50 elements!
The matryoshka doll, familiar to us, depicts a woman in a red sundress and scarf. However, nowadays there are a wide variety of variations of toy painting: girls, families (grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, child), fairy tale heroes (Turnip, Teremok, Kolobok, Chicken Ryaba), etc. Matryoshka dolls depicting political figures, as well as portrait ones, are popular as souvenirs.
Matryoshka dolls are made mainly from soft wood: linden, less often birch and alder. The logs are dried for several years, with good ventilation. Carefully monitor the quality of wood drying - it should not be damp or dry. Production begins with the smallest non-separable doll. The subsequent ones are made from blanks of the required size (they are cut into two parts and excess wood is removed so that the smaller doll fits tightly inside the larger one). The largest doll has a special stand for stability.
Each figurine is polished, primed and then painted. Most often gouache is used, less often - watercolor, tempera, oil paints. Next, the nesting dolls are coated with oil varnish and dried.
The size of the matryoshka toy depends on the number of elements. The top doll of small nesting dolls of 3 elements has a size of 8-10 cm, of standard ones of 5 elements - 16-18 cm, of 7 elements - 18-21 cm, of 10 elements - 20-25 cm. Huge nesting dolls of 50 dolls have height 65-75 cm.
Matryoshka - a toy or a souvenir?
Before the birth of a child, the matryoshka doll is usually associated among adults with a traditional Russian souvenir. Yes, indeed, this is a very beautiful and bright memento that will decorate any home. Still, the nesting doll is not an ordinary souvenir.
When asked whether nesting dolls are toys or just a piece of furniture, you can answer unequivocally: a nesting doll is a great toy for children! In addition to the fact that the traditional nesting doll itself is attractive to a child and you can play with it like a doll, it also folds out, which means you can come up with huge amount options for playing with it.
Firstly, matryoshka is a toy that develops initial movements and perceptions . She develops visual perception and touch, teaches the perception of shapes and colors, helps improve coordination of movements. The simple shape of the nesting doll and its environmental friendliness make it an excellent educational toy for the youngest children.
Secondly, the matryoshka refers to toys that promote the physical development of a child . Like other collapsible toys, it trains the muscles of the hands and fingers and promotes the development of fine motor skills.
In addition, matryoshka is educational toy . This type toys contributes to the mental and sensory development and learning of children, broadening their general horizons. When playing with a matryoshka doll, a child solves a problem that is contained in the very design of the toy - to assemble and disassemble the doll. During the game, the baby’s attention and memory develop, his intelligence and observation skills grow.
The history of matryoshka - a Russian folk toy for children
Story wooden toy nesting dolls are vague because different sources describe it differently. Most publications in the media and the Internet say that the first matryoshka was created in late XIX century, during the heyday of society's interest in its own national culture. In the Moscow workshop "Children's Education", created specifically to preserve the traditions of Russian folk toys, turner Vasily Zvezdochkin turned out the first detachable doll. The prototype of the nesting doll, according to sources, is the Japanese figurine of Fukuruma (spelling options - Fukurimi, Fukurama, Fukurokuju, Fukurokuju), one of the seven gods of luck, the god of wisdom and learning.
The artist Sergei Malyutin, a promoter of the “Russian style”, is considered the author of the sketch, the “father of the nesting doll”, in addition, it was he who painted the resulting toy. She was a round-faced peasant woman, dressed in an embroidered shirt and sundress. She was wearing an apron and a colorful scarf, and in her hands she was holding a black rooster. Inside the doll there were 7 more figures: three sisters, one with a sickle and the other with a loaf, a brother in a painted shirt, two more sisters and a swaddled baby - the smallest, inseparable doll. In 1900, the nesting doll received recognition at the World Exhibition in Paris, which led to an increase in demand for this toy.
In fact, the authorship of the nesting doll has not been established for certain. On the one hand, researchers unanimously attribute it to the artist Malyutin. However, turner Zvezdochkin claims in his memoirs that it was he who invented and created the toy. In addition, the artist Sergei Malyutin’s legacy does not actually include a sketch of a matryoshka doll.
There is also confusion about the date of origin of the nesting doll. They call it 1893, 1896, and 1898. Zvezdochkin himself generally mentions the year 1900 - but the World Exhibition had already taken place in April, and perhaps the author allows for inaccuracy in the dating (the memoirs were written 50 years later). By the way, Zvezdochkin is talking about creating three- and six-seater nesting dolls, although the Toy Museum in Sergiev Posad houses a matryoshka doll with 8 elements, and it is considered the first.
As for the Japanese origin of the nesting doll, the question remains open on this score. Indeed, the Japanese were excellent turning craftsmen. However, the idea of detachable toys was traditional in Russian folk crafts - just remember easter eggs. Everyone also knows the fairy tale about an iron chest, inside of which sits a hare, and inside it is a duck, in the duck is an egg - and that’s where Koshchei’s death is located... Perhaps this is exactly what deep meaning nesting dolls: in order to get to the truth, you need to literally get to the bottom of it, tearing off all the covers.
The first Russian nesting doll did not have a name. Matryoshka, according to the general opinion of researchers, is a shortened form of the popular name Matryona in Russia, which, in turn, has Latin roots and is translated as “noble woman.” In addition, the name of the nesting doll echoes the ancient Indian word “matri”, which translates as “mother”. Hindu mythology describes matris as female manifestations of the divine, the number of matris ranged from 7 to 16. It looks like our nesting doll, doesn’t it?
Matryoshka is an educational toy! The benefits of your favorite nesting doll in the development of children
Matryoshka dolls are an invaluable aid in children’s development, despite their apparent simplicity. How is a matryoshka useful for a child?
- Matryoshka introduces the baby to Russian folk art, traditional Russian culture.
- A child playing with a nesting doll develops fine motor skills, strengthens the muscles of the hands and fingers, which is important for the development of speech.
- This toy can be recommended as one of the first for a child: it is not only attractive, but also environmentally friendly, and also safe due to its rounded shape.
- Matryoshka helps to get acquainted with colors in the game, develops tactile and visual perception.
- The need to assemble and disassemble a toy, due to its design, trains the child’s attention and thinking.
- With the help of a nesting doll, it is easy to explain to your child the concepts of “big-small”, “more-less”, “before-behind-between”, and introduce the basics of counting.
- Matryoshka is a great toy for role playing games. The very idea of a nesting doll implies a game of family, where there is a matryoshka mother and her children of different ages.
For the nesting doll to be an educational toy, do not make it a familiar piece of furniture that is constantly in the baby’s field of vision. Take out the nesting doll only for the duration of the lesson in order to maintain the child’s interest in it. In addition, do not forget that positive emotions are the key to the success of developmental activities - play games when the baby is inclined to them.
Games with matryoshka dolls for children
The matryoshka itself is an attractive toy for a child, but it is best for parents not only to give it to the child, but also to teach simple games.
Matryoshka games for little ones (from about 1 year old)
- Teach your child to open a matryoshka doll. Be surprised and happy with your baby that inside the big doll there is another, smaller one. Is there really someone inside her too?
- Show your child that each figure is assembled from two specific halves. If the halves do not fit, you will not be able to assemble the whole doll.
- Tell the baby: “The little doll is scared and asks the big one to hide it.” Let the child try to put the elements of the toy into one another.
- When the baby is not in the room, place the nesting dolls in visible places. Invite the child who comes in to look for the lost sisters.
Educational games with matryoshka dolls for 2-3 years
- Ask your child to give you the largest one, two smallest dolls, and a medium-sized doll. Offer to arrange the pupae by height - ascending or descending. You can come up with a story: the nesting dolls went to visit, the mother is in front, and the daughters are behind her, from the largest to the smallest. And the nesting dolls return home in the reverse order.
- Arrange the nesting dolls according to height, and “forget” one. Let the child guess where exactly it should stand.
- Place the largest and smallest nesting dolls at some distance from each other. Ask your child to separate several toys of large and small sizes that you have prepared in advance, sending the small ones “to visit” the small nesting doll, and the large ones to the large one.
- Invite your child to place the nesting dolls in “beds” (for example, rings from a pyramid) or houses (they can be made from cardboard boxes different sizes). To do this, he will first need to distribute the nesting dolls and their cribs/houses by size. Another option for this game is to make several cardboard gates of different sizes in advance. The child needs to find a gate that is suitable in height for each nesting doll.
- If you have two sets of nesting dolls, mix them up and ask your child to sort them. And two sets of the same number of elements can be arranged in pairs.
- Trace the bases of the nesting dolls on a piece of paper or cardboard. Let the child choose its own owner for each “chair”. Or you can imagine the circles as train carriages, boats, seats in a cinema, etc.
- Explain, and then ask questions yourself about the concepts of “more-less”, “higher-lower”, “front-back”, “right-left”.
- With the help of nesting dolls you can study numerals and the names of the days of the week. Name the nesting dolls with names that are consonant with the necessary concepts. Having put the upper halves of the dolls on your fingers, teach your child the names of the fingers.
- Hide the small nesting doll in any of the larger ones. Ask your child to determine by ear where the baby doll is hiding.
Games with matryoshka dolls for older children (from 3-4 years old)
- You can put beads/peas or cardboard circles inside the nesting dolls, in ascending order of size. If you want to help your child master numbers, write on the bottom of each nesting doll how many peas it contains. Show your child the number and then count the peas together.
- Matryoshka is great for role-playing games. Usually the largest nesting doll is the mother, and the smaller ones are her daughters. But for someone, a big nesting doll can also be a dad. Play with nesting dolls situations that are close to the child (or children). Communication between a mother and a child who does not obey, relations between older and younger children, conflicts on the playground. Several sets of nesting dolls can represent several families.
- Children over 4-5 years old can be asked to color the matryoshka blank. How older child, the more independent and accurate his work will be.
Types of nesting dolls
There are both classic wooden ones (with different types paintings), and non-standard nesting dolls: soft, plastic, nesting dolls-Christmas tree toys and others. The photo below shows various variations of nesting dolls:
Wooden matryoshka toys:
(matryoshka, Khokhloma);
(matryoshka, Gzhel);
(Dymkovo matryoshka toy);
(matryoshka doll, Filimonov painting);
(matryoshka doll, Gorodets painting);
(Vyatka matryoshka);
(Semyonovskaya matryoshka).
Wooden nesting dolls depicting fairy tale heroes
Chicken Ryaba:
Soft toy matryoshka
(matryoshka doll, anti-stress toy from Smalltoys);
(knitted nesting doll, handmade).
Matryoshka wheelchair, plastic
New Year's doll
As you can see, the nesting doll is the whole world! It is not without reason that it fell in love and “took root” in Russian culture... Eco-friendly, bright, revealing many possibilities for play, the nesting doll will definitely become one of your child’s favorite toys.
Matryoshka is one of the famous and beloved Russian souvenirs.
The first Russian nesting doll appeared at the end of the 19th century and gained unprecedented recognition as one of the comprehensive images of Russia, a symbol of Russian folk art.
The predecessor and prototype of the Russian nesting doll was the figurine of a good-natured bald old man, the Buddhist sage Fukuruma, which contained several more figures, nested one inside the other, imported from the island of Honshu. The Japanese, by the way, claim that an unknown Russian monk was the first to carve such a toy on the island of Honshu.
The Russian wooden detachable doll was called matryoshka. In the pre-revolutionary province, the name Matryona, Matryosha was considered one of the most common Russian names, which is based on the Latin word “mater”, meaning mother. This name was associated with the mother large family, having good health and a portly figure. Subsequently, it became a household word and began to mean a turning, detachable, colorfully painted wooden product. But even now the nesting doll remains a symbol of motherhood and fertility, since a doll with a large doll family perfectly expresses the figurative basis of this ancient symbol human culture.
The first Russian nesting doll, carved by Vasily Zvezdochkin and painted by Sergei Malyutin, had eight seats: a girl with a black rooster was followed by a boy, then a girl again, and so on. All the figures were different from each other; the last, eighth, depicted a swaddled baby.
As a rule, nesting dolls are made from hardwood. The most beneficial material is linden. Trees intended for making nesting dolls are cut down in early spring, usually in April, when the wood is sap. Cut down trees are cleaned, always leaving rings of bark in several places. Otherwise, the wood will crack when drying. Logs prepared in this way with sealed ends are stacked so that there is a gap between them for air. The harvested wood is kept in the open air for at least two years. The logs, ready for processing, are sawn into blanks for the future matryoshka doll. In the hands of a turner, the workpiece goes through up to 15 operations before becoming a finished matryoshka doll. Usually the smallest non-opening figure is turned out first, then all the other figures. The finished dolls are primed with starch glue, dried, and now the matryoshka is ready for painting.
Until the end of the 90s of the last century, nesting dolls were turned and painted in the Moscow workshop “Children's Education”, and after its closure in Sergiev Posad, an ancient toy-making center near Moscow. According to legend, the first “Trinity” toy was carved by the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, founded in 1340, Sergius of Radonezh. He personally gave toys to children. Even among the toys of the royal children there were wooden Trinity toys. They were bought in Sergiev Posad, where Russian tsars with their children and household members came on pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery.
In 1900, the Russian nesting doll was exhibited at the World Exhibition in Paris, where it received a medal and global recognition. From the late 18th to early 19th centuries, carved wooden toys have come down to us depicting a peasant girl in a kokoshnik, a dancing man, elegant ladies and hussars. The first nesting dolls, with their shapes and paintings, also capture a motley, varied life: girls in Russian sundresses with baskets, sickles, bouquets of flowers, or in winter sheepskin coats with a shawl on their heads; the bride and groom holding candles in their hands; shepherdess with a pipe; an old man with a thick beard. Sometimes a nesting doll represented a whole family.
Matryoshka is a work of both sculpture and painting, it is the image and soul of Russia.
A story about the history of the origin of the nesting doll for children
Children about a wooden doll - toy
Matryoshka as a symbol of Russian culture
Egorova Galina Vasilievna.Position and place of work: homeschool teacher, KGBOU "Motyginskaya" secondary school- boarding school", Motygino village, Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Description of material: This story briefly outlines the history of the origin of the Russian wooden doll - a toy. This material may be useful and interesting for teachers primary classes, teachers of senior groups of kindergartens. Information about the nesting doll can be used in themed classroom hours.
Target: Forming an idea about the nesting doll through a story.
Tasks:
- educational: tell a short history about the origin of the Russian wooden toy - matryoshka;
- developing: develop attention, memory, imagination, curiosity;
- educational: cultivate interest in the history of ancient toys and Russian culture.
Content.
Probably in every home you can find everyone’s favorite wooden nesting doll. This is a toy that embodies kindness, prosperity, and family well-being.
The first Russian nesting doll had eight seats: a girl with a black rooster was followed by a boy, then a girl, and so on. All the figures were different from each other. The last, eighth, depicted a baby.
Initially, this doll did not even have a name. But when the turner made it, the artist painted it bright colors, then the name appeared - Matryona. Perhaps this is due to the fact that at various evenings tea was served by servants with that name.
Why was everyone’s favorite Russian toy doll called “matryoshka”? Many believe that this name comes from female name Matryona, very popular at that time in Russia. The name Matryona translated from Latin means “noble woman.” Looking at the nesting doll, the image of a portly noble person really appears.
The matryoshka has won love and recognition as a symbol of Russian folk art.
There is such a belief that if you put a note with a wish inside this wooden doll, it will definitely come true. Matryoshka, from the very beginning of its origin, symbolizes warmth and comfort in the home.
The very idea of creating such an unusual doll contains a deep philosophical meaning: in order to find the truth, you need to get to the essence by opening, one by one, all the parts of the wooden doll. In other words, there are no shortcuts to solving various problems. It takes a lot of effort to achieve a certain result.
Perhaps the idea of a wooden toy, consisting of several figures inserted into one another, was given to the master who created the nesting doll from the content of Russian fairy tales. Let's take the tale of Koshchei, with whom Ivan Tsarevich fights. Let us recall the plot about the search for “Koshchei’s death”: Koschei’s death is hidden far away: on the sea on the ocean, on an island on Buyan there is a green oak tree, under that oak tree there is an iron chest buried, in that chest there is a hare, in the hare there is a duck, in the duck there is an egg; All you have to do is crush the egg and Koschey dies instantly.
The image of the Russian nesting doll combines the art of the masters and the endless love for folk culture. These days you can buy all sorts of souvenirs to suit every taste.
But all the same, when we hear “matryoshka”, the image of a cheerful Russian girl in bright colors always appears in our heads. folk costume. The love for our favorite doll will be passed on, I think, from generation to generation. After all, the history of the origin of the nesting doll is the history of our culture.
Preschoolers about the Russian nesting doll
Russian matryoshka for children
History of matryoshkaAlthough the nesting doll has long gained a reputation as a symbol of our country, its roots are by no means Russian. According to the most common version, the history of the nesting doll originates in Japan.
In the nineties of the 19th century, A. Mamontova brought from Japan a figurine of a good-natured bald old man, the sage Fukuruma, to the Moscow toy workshop “Childhood Education”. Wood turner Vasily Zvezdochkin, who then worked in this workshop, carved similar figures from wood, which were also nested inside one another, and artist Sergei Malyutin painted them to look like girls and boys. The first matryoshka depicted a girl in a simple city costume: a sundress, an apron, and a scarf with a rooster. The toy consisted of eight figures. The image of the girl alternated with the image of the boy, differing from each other. The latter depicted a swaddled baby.
In another version, the toy was: eight dolls depicting girls different ages, from the oldest (big) girl with a rooster to a baby wrapped in diapers. Today, only those turned and painted wooden souvenir toys that consist of several nested inside one another are called matryoshka dolls.
The first Russian nesting dolls were created in Sergiev Posad as fun for children, which helped them master the concepts of shape, color, quantity and size. Such toys were quite expensive. But demand for them appeared immediately. A few years after the appearance of the first nesting doll, almost the entire Sergiev Posad was making these charming dolls. The original plot of the Russian nesting doll is Russian girls and women, rosy-cheeked and plump, dressed in sundresses and scarves, with dogs, cats, baskets, and flowers.
In 1900, Maria Mamontova, the wife of S.I. Mamontov’s brother, presented the dolls at the World Exhibition in Paris, where they earned a bronze medal. Soon matryoshka dolls began to be made in many places in Russia. Also in Semyonov, at the Semyonovskaya Painting art factory, in 1922 the traditional Russian Semyonovskaya matryoshka doll was born, which the whole world knows today.
After the first children's nesting doll appeared in different regions of Russia, artists began to paint nesting dolls, they liked this doll so much! And they all did it differently. Sergiev Posad, Polkhov Maidan, Vyatka, city
Semenov - ancient centers of folk crafts, which
Matryoshka helped to become famous, and from here
names of types of nesting dolls - Sergiev Posad
(Zagorskaya), Semenovskaya (Khokhloma) and Polkhov-Maidanskaya.
Why was the doll called “matryoshka”?
Matryoshka (diminutive of the name “Matryona”. Almost unanimously, all researchers refer to the fact that this name comes from the female name Matryona, common in Russia: “The name Matryona comes from the Latin Matrona, which means “noble woman”, in the church it was written Matrona , among the diminutive names: Motya, Motrya, Matryosha, Matyusha, Tyusha, Matusya, Tusya, Musya.
Why this chiseled doll began to be called a matryoshka doll, no one knows for sure. Maybe that’s what the seller advertising his product called her, or maybe that’s the name the buyers gave her: the name Matryona was very common among ordinary people, so they began to affectionately call the toy Matryosha, Matryonushka; Thus, the name Matryoshka stuck.
What are nesting dolls made of? Manufacturing technique
For for many years existence of the nesting doll, the principles of its manufacture have not changed. Matryoshka dolls are made from larch, birch, linden and aspen, which must be cut down in early spring. Each master knows his own secret to wood and preparing it for processing. He spends a long time choosing trees that are straight and not knotty. When clearing a tree of bark, the master always leaves it untouched in several places. This is done so that the wood does not crack when drying. Then the prepared logs are stacked so that air can pass freely between them. For several years, the trunks are weathered and dried in the open air to the desired humidity. Here it is very important not to over-dry or over-dry the log - folk craftsmen know this secret. As they say, the tree must ring and sing. Dried logs are sawn into logs and blanks. A fake doll undergoes up to 15 operations before becoming a beautiful, elegant doll. With great skill inherent in sculptors, the turner turns the head and body of the nesting doll from the outside and inside, using simple tools - a knife and chisels. First, the smallest nesting doll is turned from birch - a non-opening figurine. Then - the lower part of the next - the bottom. The master makes bottoms for nesting dolls for a thousand pieces at a time. This is done so that the lower part can dry out. When the turner finishes the tenth hundred, the first hundred has already dried and can be prepared for it top part toys. There is no need to dry the upper part of the nesting doll; it is put on the bottom, where it dries out and tightly clasps the thorn and therefore holds tightly. The figures are carefully sanded, primed with potato paste and dried. Now it is ready for painting, and after painting it is varnished. First, the base of the drawing is applied with a pencil. Then they plan
contours of the mouth, eyes, cheeks. And then they draw clothes for the matryoshka. Typically, when painting, they use gouache, watercolor or acrylic. Each locality has its own canons of painting, its own colors and shapes. Gouache was previously used for painting. Nowadays, their unique images are created using watercolors, tempera, and aniline paints. However, gouache still remains the most favorite paint of artists who paint nesting dolls. As a rule, the face and apron are painted first, and then the scarf and sundress.
A good nesting doll is distinguished by the fact that: all its figures easily fit into each other; two parts of one nesting doll fit tightly and do not dangle; the drawing is correct and clear; Well, and, of course, a good nesting doll should be beautiful.
The original subjects of wooden nesting dolls were exclusively female: ruddy and plump red maidens were dressed in sundresses and scarves, depicted with cats, dogs, baskets, etc.
Sergiev Posad (Zagorsk) matryoshka doll
This toy still looks like the first matryoshka doll with a rooster in its hands. The Zagorsk nesting doll is of good quality, steep-sided, and stable in shape. Paint it on white wood with gouache paints, using pure (local) colors. The oval of the face and hands are painted over with a “flesh” color. Two strands of hair are hidden under a scarf, the nose is represented with two dots, and the lips are made with three dots: two at the top, one at the bottom, and the lips are ready in a bow. The Zagorsk matryoshka's scarf is tied in a knot. Next, the master draws the sleeves of the jacket and sundress. The scarf and apron are decorated with a simple floral pattern, which is easily obtained if you apply a brush with paint, leaving a trace of a petal or leaf. A round center of a flower or a “pea” can be obtained by using the poking technique. Having finished painting, the master varnishes the matryoshka doll. This makes it even brighter and more elegant. Laconicism and simplicity of design created a clear and joyful image of a Russian village doll. That’s probably why everyone, young and old, loves the nesting doll.
Semenovskaya matryoshka
Semenovskaya (the town of Semenov, in the Nizhny Novgorod region) the toy is also turned on a lathe. For work, use well-dried linden, aspen, and birch wood. Undried wood cannot be used, otherwise a product made from raw wood may crack, split, and it will be a pity for the labor spent on it. The turned product - linen - is similar in shape to the Zagorsk one, but somewhat narrowed at the bottom. But they paint it differently, and use different colors. First, the white nesting doll is primed with potato paste, rubbing it into the pores of the wood. This is necessary so that the paints do not spread over the wooden fibers and so that the nesting doll shines immediately after the first varnish coating. On the dried, primed surface, the craftswomen make a “tip” with black ink: they draw an oval of the face, eyes, nose, lips, outline a scarf tied in a knot, and separate the border on the scarf (this is important, because the border with flower buds is a distinctive feature of the Semyonovskaya nesting doll). Then they draw an oval in which hands and flowers are depicted: lush roses, bells, spikelets.
So, the tip is ready. Now painting is done with aniline transparent paints of yellow, red, crimson, green, purple flowers. And finally, the nesting doll is varnished. And here in front of us is a bright matryoshka doll.
Polkhov-Maidan Matryoshka doll
This is the neighbor of Semenov’s nesting doll. And they grind it in the village of Polkhovsky Maidan, Nizhny Novgorod region. The first two stages - priming with paste and brushing - are carried out in the same way as in Semenovskaya, but the painting is more laconic: an oval face with curls of hair, a scarf flows from the head, a rose trefoil on the head, an oval replacing the apron is filled with floral painting. Lush roses, dahlias, bells, rose hips, and berries decorate this nesting doll. And she will be slimmer than her friends: the shape of the nesting dolls is more elongated, the head is small and flattened. Polkhovsky Maidan is the name of the village. “Maidan” is a very old village, and it means “gathering of people.” And Polkhovka is the river on which the village stands.
Vyatka (Kirov) nesting doll
Residents of Vyatka and surrounding villages have long been engaged in the production of toys. The special peculiarity of the Vyatka painted wooden doll is that they began to not only paint the nesting doll with aniline dyes, but also inlay it with straws. The Vyatka nesting doll is easy to recognize by its friendly, smiling face with large blue eyes, red-blond hair, and traditional outfit painted with bright aniline dyes. On her apron are bouquets of flowers from large scarlet poppies or roses framed by leaves. Matryoshka dolls are often decorated with patterns made using the straw appliqué technique. For inlay, rye straw is used, which is grown in special areas and carefully cut by hand with a sickle. One part of straw to receive decorative effect boiled in a soda solution until golden brown, the other remains white. Then the straw is cut, smoothed, and the details of the desired pattern are knocked out with a stamp. Glue the straws onto the damp nitrocellulose varnish.
The golden color, depending on the change in viewing angle, can become pearlescent; they have learned to paint it in different colors, reminiscent of precious stones under the varnish coating. A matryoshka doll painted with aniline dyes and inlaid with straws is covered
oil varnish.
Tver matryoshka
The Tver matryoshka doll often reveals historical and fairy tale characters: Snow Maiden, Princess Nesmeyana, Vasilisa the Beautiful. Outfits and hats can be completely different, which makes the doll very interesting for children.
Physical education minutes
We are funny Matryoshkas -
(arms in front of chest, index finger right hand rests on the cheek)
Okay, okay -
(claps hands)
We have boots on our feet -
(alternately put the right and left legs forward)
Okay, okay -
(claps hands)
In our colorful sundresses -
(imitation of holding the hem of a sundress)
Okay, okay -
(claps hands)
We look alike, like sisters -
(hold on to the imaginary ends of the handkerchief and squat)
Okay, okay -
(claps hands)
***
(floods in place)
We are nesting dolls, these little ones -
(holding onto an imaginary sundress)
And we, and we have clean palms -
(claps hands)
We are nesting dolls, these little ones -
(holding onto an imaginary sundress)
And we, and we have new boots -
(alternately put the right and left leg forward
We are nesting dolls, these little ones -
(holding onto an imaginary sundress)
We went out to dance, dance a little -
(turns with stomps around you)
***
They clap their hands.
Friendly nesting dolls.
(clap hands)
Boots on my feet,
(hands on the waist, alternately placing the right leg forward on the heel, then the left)
Matryoshka dolls are stomping.
(stomping feet)
Lean left, right,
(body tilts left - right)
Bow to everyone you know.
(tilts head left and right)
The girls are naughty
Painted dolls.
In your colorful sundresses
(hands to shoulders, body turns right - left)
You look like sisters.
Okay, okay,
Funny nesting dolls.
(clap hands)
***
Riddles about matryoshka
Friends of different heights
They don't look alike
They all sit next to each other,
In this young lady
The sisters are hiding.
Every sister
For the smaller one - a dungeon.
Matryoshka
***
These bright sisters
They hid their pigtails together
And they live as a family alone.
Just open the older one
Another sister sits in it,
That one also has a smaller sister.
You'll get to the crumbs
These girls are... Matryoshka
***
She looks alone, big,
But the second sister sits in it,
And you will find the third in the second.
Taking them apart one by one,
You'll get to the smallest one.
Inside them all is a baby, a baby.
All together - a souvenir.. Matryoshka
***
There are different girlfriends nearby,
But they look alike.
They all sit next to each other,
And just one toy.
Matryoshka
***
Scarlet silk handkerchief,
Bright sundress with flowers,
Hand rests
On wooden sides.
And there are secrets inside:
Maybe three, maybe six.
I got a little flushed.
This is a Russian... Matryoshka.
***
The children sit quietly in it,
They don't want to show themselves.
What if their mother loses them?
What if someone scatters them?!
Matryoshka
***
Hiding from you and me
One doll into another.
There are polka dots on the scarves.
What kind of dolls?
Matryoshka
***
Like a turnip, it's steep-sided,
And under the scarlet scarf on us
Looks fun, smart, wide
A pair of black currant eyes.
Scarlet silk handkerchief,
Bright sundress with flowers.
The hand rests on the wooden sides.
And there are secrets inside:
Maybe three, maybe six:
Got a little flushed
Our Russian… Matryoshka
Poems about matryoshka
Take a quick look -
The cheeks are turning pink,
A colorful handkerchief
Floral dress
Chubby babes -
Russian nesting dolls.
Just a little scared
Everyone runs into a circle,
Hiding in each other
Smart girlfriends.
T. Lisenkova
***
colorful dress,
Rosy cheeks!
We open it -
The daughter is hiding in it.
Matryoshkas are dancing
Matryoshka dolls laugh
And they happily ask
Make you smile!
They jump towards you
Right into your palms -
How funny
These nesting dolls!
Wooden girlfriends
They love to hide in each other,
They wear bright clothes
They are called nesting dolls.
A. Grishin
***
There are many dolls in one doll,
This is how they live - in each other's lives,
Their size is strictly calculated -
Wooden girlfriends.
E. Krysin
***
Like in a big, big nesting doll,
There is less, a little bit,
Well, there’s a little more in it,
Well, there’s a tiny nesting doll in it,
Well, there’s no one in the crumbs.
There are four of them in total.
R. Karapetyan
***
Gave it to Masha
Matryoshka - there is nothing more beautiful!
Everything is so good:
Bright, elegant!
It's fun to play with her
You can even open it.
Open it up a little bit
There's another nesting doll inside!
Just a little shorter,
Otherwise, they're just twins!
We began to look for the third one,
It turned out to be as many as five!
Five nesting dolls - all in one
They can hide sometimes.
L. Gromova
***
There is a doll on the shelf,
She is bored and sad.
But you will take it in your hands
And you will find another one in it.
And in that one... And now in a row
Five cute dolls are standing.
Although the height is different, but still
They're all surprisingly similar.
In elegant colorful sundresses
Ruddy nesting dolls-sisters.
There was one, but there were five,
They have no time to be bored anymore!
And the girlfriends will play enough,
And again they will hide in each other.
N. Radchenko
***
These Russian nesting dolls
Colorful clothes,
To the secrets of the craftswoman,
The sisters are hiding in the older one.
You won’t understand how many of them there are,
If you can't find the younger one.
Julia Room
***
-Oh, you matryoshka young lady,
I'll take you in my hands
Show me those girls
What is sitting inside you!
Oh, you matryoshka young lady,
Multi-colored clothes,
The whole wide world knows
This Russian souvenir!
S. Ivanov
***
Nice doll - matryoshka,
Where are the pens?
Where are the legs?
Oh, what cheeks
Red, ruddy,
Flowers on the apron
And on a sundress.
Here is a matryoshka mother,
Here are the nesting dolls - daughters,
The mouth is like berries,
The eyes are like dots!
Mom sings a song
The daughters dance in a round dance,
Mom wants some peace,
They hide in one another!
A. Kuleshova
***
Polkhov-Maidan Matryoshka doll
From Polkhov-Maidan matryoshka
slimmer and a little stricter.
Loves the color crimson and scarlet.
All in poppies of unprecedented beauty!
Olga Kiseleva
***
Polkhov – Maidan Matryoshka
I am a matryoshka from Maidan.
My outfit is decorated with flowers.
With shining petals.
And different berries,
Ripe and red.
***
Matryoshka dolls from Sergiev Pasad
I'm from Sergiev Pasad
I am very glad to meet you.
Given to me by artists
Bright Russian sundress.
I have for a long time
There is a pattern on the apron.
My handkerchief is famous
Multi-colored border.
***
Semenovskaya matryoshka
From Semenov's nesting doll,
and inside there are matryoshka crumbs.
I can count them -
one, two, three, four, five!
To count to ten,
I need to grow up a little.
Red bottom and yellow top
all these nesting dolls.
Holds roses in hand
and spirals on a scarf.
Olga Kiseleva
***
Semenovskaya matryoshka
I'm from quiet green
The town of Semenov.
I came to visit you
Bouquet of garden flowers
Pink, burgundy
I brought it as a gift.
***
Vyatka matryoshka
Our lips are like a bow,
Yes, the cheeks are like apples,
Have known us for a long time
All the people are at the fair.
We are Vyatka nesting dolls
More beautiful than anyone in the world.
Painted, bright
Our sundresses.
***
colorful dresses,
Rosy cheeks!
We open it -
Daughters are hiding in it.
***
Matryoshka on the window
Under a bright sundress,
And the whole family is in a nesting doll.
Like in a wooden house.
Everyone loves nesting dolls very much
Multi-colored clothes:
Always amazingly painted
Very bright and beautiful.
They are noble toys,
Foldable and good.
Matryoshka dolls are famous everywhere.
We really like them!