Russian Nesting Doll

A MATRYOSHKA doll is a Russian nesting doll. Usually made of wood, the matryoshka consists of several dolls that are similarly shaped and fit one inside the other. When you pull the doll apart, another one, slightly smaller, sits inside. There are usually six or more dolls in a set. The female dolls are called "baboushkas," which is Russian for a "cute old woman," and the male dolls are called "dedoushka", meaning "cute old man." The shape is mostly cylindrical, rounded at the top for the head and tapered towards the bottom.

It is believed that the first matryoshka dates from 1890, and is said to have been inspired by a doll of the Japanese artist Fukuruma. The first Russian one was said to be carved by Vasiliy Zvezdochkin and painted by Sergei Maliutin. It consisted of eight dolls; the outermost was a girl in an apron. The dolls alternated between boy and girl, with the innermost doll being a baby.

The name "Matryoshka" is said to have been adopted from the name Matryona or Matriosha. Both of these names were very popular among Russian peasants. Since the name had the Latin root of "mater" or "mother," this name was associated with the image of a mother of a big peasant family who was very healthy and had a portly figure.-