The Matryoshka is a Russian, round shape, wooden and painted doll which contains several dolls of decreasing sizes, interlocked in each other. The Russian doll is handmade and has the features of a pretty young woman, richly dressed. The Matryoshka symbolizes the Russian family, motherhood, fertility and life.
The Matryoshka’s origin dates back to the late 19th century. In 1892, the artist Vasilij Petrovič Zvézdočk created the first matryoshka. He probably drew from the Sergéj Vasíl’evič Maljútin’s painting. It depected a Buddhist god of the Japanese island Honshu, called a Fukurama statue. Originally, the matryoshka contained a big mother, five peasants, a boy and a baby.
Matryoshka revisited by fashion designers :
Matryoshka minaudieres by Chanel :
Matryoshka jewelry :
Sources : Pinterest, gounesco (Jessica Scodro), treccani, fogliogiallo, legomenon and russian-crafts
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