Matrioshka comes from a Russian word «Matrona» which means Mama because inside of a doll there’s another one which has another doll inside and so on. There can be from 3 pieces up to endless quantity of dolls inside. It depends obviously on the size. Some dolls are so big, I would say huge and they are a real masterpiece – everything depends on the imagination of the craftsman who made it.
Matrioshka is a sacred Russian symbol, a mascot which protects a family. Today Russians buy such talismans to decorate their house. There are different types of Matrioshka dolls: long ones or roundish ones (in a village a peasant woman would be rappresented as someone opulent, with curves, someone I would say fatsy which would mean being healthy and such a woman would give birth to many kids), blue or red ones, very decorated or less decorated.
You should choose a doll which you like. In this case the matrioshka doll will bring you good luck, happiness and will protect your house.
Novgorod. Semenovskaya matrioshka doll
It’s produced in Semenov city.
Description: Usually black hair, small eyes, outlined eyebrows.
Sergievskaya (The town of Sergiev Posad)
Very simple, there aren’t that many decorations, the eyes are without make up. Very often has a chicken or a rooster in her arms.
Maidan matrioshka doll. Novgorod region.
These dolls are decorated with big flowers of purple, red, green colors.
Their feature: the details they have, flowers and so on are all outlined with a black color. (The contour is black). Their distinctive element is a big rosehip flower on their apron.
Viatskaya matrioshka doll
Features: a cute smiling face, yellow or red hair .
The doll is usually wearing a yellow or orange scarf on her head, there’s a bunch of flowers on her apron: roses, rosehips, forget-me-nots, peonies.
Zhionka (it’s translated as «burned»)
A typical Siberian doll. The design is burned on the linden wood piece with a laser.
The White Nights. (Famous craftsmen of St.Petersburg)
Russian dolls, artistic style. In reality a style changed from a village to another village because a newly bought doll would travel to another town and there craftsmen looking at it would create their own version, today recognized and looked for. Great artists such as painters Serov, Vasnetsov, Vrubel tried to create their own matrioshka dolls.
There’s a workshop located in St.Petersburg, it’s called White Nights. The craftsmen specialise on making beautiful, shiny dolls covered with lacquer. They are truly masterpieces, usually up to 3 different artists work on creation of such a doll and they use real gold leaf for the dolls’ decoration.
Tastes differ and there are a lot of dolls which reflect taste of different countries. For example, images of Vladimir Putin are very popular as well as those of Presidents of the USA, China, Brazil. Gustav Klimt with his “Kiss” takes the cake as well as Kazimir Malevich themes – they are the most popular Pop Dolls.
