The Matryoshka doll symbolizes Russia and its culture. Matryoshka, meaning "little mother”, is based on the concept of a mother bearing a daughter and the daughter in turn, bearing a child, to continue the human species. Matryoshka dolls represent fertility and motherhood, concepts that are reinforced by the modified egg shape of these dolls.

Origins Of The Matryoshka Dolls

According to history, the Russian Matryoshka dolls actually originated in Japan and came to Russia at the end of the nineteenth century. About 100 years ago, during Russia’s economic boom that brought forth a sense of culture and national identity, new artistic trends developed. Traditions that were being lost to the tide of time were being revived.

The developing Russian style saw the first Matryoshka doll in a Japanese art exhibition during December of 1896 in St. Petersburg. The Matryoshka doll depicted Buddhist wise man called Fukuruma. The wooden doll, depicting the bald-headed old man could be split at the waistline into two halves. Within were dolls of the same monk when he was younger, with a full head of hair and a beard.  and bearded and still with hair on his head.

Since the doll originated from the island of Honshu in Japan, the Japanese laid rightful claim as inventors of nested dolls. However, it turns out that the first set of dolls was carved and painted by a Russian monk. The same first set is available for viewing at the Artistic Pedagogical Museum of Toys (APMT) located in the Matryoshka cultural center in Russia, Sergiyev Posad.

Growth Of The Matryoshka Art Form

Owing to an industrialist named Mamontov, traditional art forms bearing a nationalistic artistic expression got a lot of encouragement. His art studio employed folk craftsmen and professional artists who worked to preserve Russian folk art techniques, traditions and skills.
Vasily Zvyozdochkin created the first all-Russian Matryoshka doll in 1890, which was artistically painted by Sergei Malyutin. The first set depicts a mother carrying a rooster with a proud red comb. Inside the mother doll are nested her seven children, with the last solid piece being that of a sleeping, bundled little baby.

Even though it is a doll, the Matryoshka doll is a highly collectible art form that represents Russian culture, tradition and spirit. The Matryoshka doll also depicts fertility and the continuation of the human species, which is conveyed by the nesting aspect of the dolls.