The idea of creating detachable wooden large nesting dolls was suggested by S.V. Malyutin a Japanese toy, brought from the island of Honshu by the wife of S.I. Mamontov. It was the figure of a good-natured bald old man, the sage Fukurumu, in which there were several other figures nested inside one another. The Japanese, by the way, claim that the Russian monk was the first to carve a similar nesting doll on the island of Honshu.
The Main Principle:
The principle of making nesting dolls remains unchanged to the present, while retaining all the tricks of the lathe art of Russian nesting dolls. As a rule, such tree species as linden and birch serve as material for the nesting dolls. Trees intended for the manufacture of nesting doll are usually cut down in early spring, cleared of bark, leaving the bark rings in several places, so that the wood does not crack during drying. The logs prepared in this way are piled so that there is a gap between them for the passage of air. Usually, the harvested wood for nesting doll is kept outdoors for several years to bring it to a certain condition, not allowing peresushku or nedosushki.
To determine the degree of readiness of the material can only an experienced master dolls. The logs that are ready for processing are cut into blanks for the future Russian doll. Up to 15 operations take place in the hands of a turner before becoming a finished nesting doll. In order to carve a nesting doll on a lathe, a turner needs exceptional skill, the ability to use a relatively small set of seemingly simple tools a knife and chisels of various lengths and configuration of the doll.
As a rule, the smallest non-opening nesting doll is first carved. In the manufacture of the next nesting doll, already opening nesting doll, the lower part of the nesting doll is first carved out the bottom. Then the doll is sharpened to the desired size and is cut off at the end. After that, the nesting doll ring is made, on which the upper part of the doll will be put on, and the lower half of the doll is chosen. After that, the head of the nesting doll is carved and so much wood is removed from the inside, so that the head of the nesting doll can be dressed on the upper ring.
The Best Processes
Naturally, all these processes are performed by eye, on a whim, and require great skill. The upper part of the nested doll, dressed on the bottom, dries out, tightly covers the ring and keeps perfectly on it. At the end of the turning work, the white wooden nesting doll is carefully cleaned, primed with starch paste so that its surface is perfectly smooth and the applied paint does not spread on the wood, then the nesting doll is dried. Now the nested doll is ready for painting. It was here that mass production of this nesting doll soon began and a type of nesting doll was developed, which is called the SergievPosad nesting doll, or the author’s nesting doll.
At present, the Russian nesting doll is experiencing a kind of renaissance, apparently connected with the enormous interest in the world to the nesting doll towards Russia, the changes that have begun in it in the economic, social and cultural life. The revitalization of economic life made it possible for the various small private workshops of the nesting dolls to make and paint Russian wooden nesting dolls without a hitch. Especially a lot of similar dolls appeared in Moscow and its surroundings, where there is an extensive market for dolls. Nesting doll, made not in this or that traditional style, but the author’s nesting doll, made by an individual artist, professional or amateur of the nesting doll, became the most interesting.
Modern nesting dolls first of all turned to the traditions of the first Russian painted nesting dolls, which were created by professional nesting dolls and experienced nesting dolls. Various versions of the Russian nesting doll appeared, dressed in folk clothes, in the guise of which the features of the first Russian nesting doll S.V. Maliutina are guessed. Fantasy modern artists nesting dolls have no boundaries. Also, it has become so popular that there are many versions of nesting dolls all around the world. In fact, there is also a Mexican nesting doll existing right now.
You can read more information here as to how nesting dolls are made.
Buy a nesting doll:
Nowadays, there is a huge variety of art studios and workshops that manufacture traditional Russian wooden souvenirs. Nesting doll is a creative association of woodcarving masters and professional graphic designers producing unique and unusual souvenirs, in which historical traditions of manufacturing are interwoven with modern trends, resulting in skillfully made dolls, wooden figurines, sets for creativity and souvenir split eggs.
Nesting doll more than once participated in various competitions, presented her creations at various exhibitions and inevitably won the highest marks from critics. Today the nested doll is known not only in our country, but also abroad, the reason for this was the high reputation of the studio won at various international exhibitions.
Where to buy dolls today?
Art craft in Russia is first of all carving and painting on wood. The most famous and universally recognizable product is the Russian nesting doll, whose history and origin still does not have certain outlines. Nowadays, this field of art fishing is undergoing a kind of renaissance, as evidenced by the ability to buy a nested doll on almost any corner. Today, dolls are bought mostly by foreigners and guests of our country, in whose minds the very concept of Russia is closely intertwined with this wooden doll at the level of associations.
Nesting doll can be called the most popular souvenir, which is brought from a trip by foreigners or our compatriots buy dolls as a gift. You can buy a nesting doll in our day at any souvenir shop, on the art products market, but online nesting dolls are gaining more and more popularity, where you can buy a nesting doll for every taste. The sellers usually take delivery of the purchased nesting dolls, the delivery charge does not exceed reasonable limits, and the convenience of making a purchase without leaving your home explains the wide distribution of this kind of shops. In modern online stores you can buy a nesting doll of almost any kind, shape, size and coloring, but a wide range is due to a resurgent interest in this traditional product of master artists.
The greatest distribution today, oddly enough, they still have traditional nesting dolls of Sergiev-Posad, Vyatka, or Semenov type, which retain the distinctive features characteristic of the very first nesting doll of certain regions of Russia. It is possible to buy a nesting doll of any type in any online store. Most of the online stores where you can buy a nesting doll work with various art studios and workshops, where experienced craftsmen and professional artists are responsible for making nesting dolls, but you should be serious about buying nesting dolls through the Internet and in any souvenir shop. A wide range of traditional nesting dolls can be found at Nestingdolls co
How to choose dolls?
Before you buy nesting dolls, you must first determine the goals and purposes of the doll being purchased. Nowadays, nesting dolls are most often used as gifts for foreigners, however, even if it is the gift that is their purpose, it is also necessary to determine the requirements for the gift. For example, in order to buy nesting dolls as gifts for several people, you can buy relatively small and inexpensive items, but if a gift has a certain value and should be, as they say, on a level, you need to think about choosing a more expensive and interesting instance.
