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Semyonov Yellow Nesting Dolls | All Natural Wooden Matryoshka Doll Set of 6 (5 Inch) - Traditional Babushka Home Decor, Wooden Stacking Dolls, Vintage Handmade Shape
Semyonov Yellow Nesting Dolls | All Natural Wooden Matryoshka Doll Set of 6 (5 Inch) - Traditional Babushka Home Decor, Wooden Stacking Dolls, Vintage Handmade Shape
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- 🌏 ORIGIN | Nesting dolls originated from China during the Song Dynasty. Chinese craftsmen started with nesting boxes, which gradually evolved into nesting dolls. The concept made its way from China to Japan who made nesting dolls representative of their Seven Lucky Gods. It wasn't until the 19th century that the nesting dolls came to Europe by way of merchants from the East. The dolls were received open-heartedly in Europe and have since been spun into a symbol of folk art and tradition.
- 🎨 CRAFTSMANSHIP | The Modern Matryoshka dolls are still completely handmade, and over 80% of the dolls worldwide come from a single factory in the city of Semyonov. The dolls are made of only the highest quality Lime wood, as it's light, strong, and flexible enough to endure a lifetime of stacking and unstacking. Blank dolls are first hand lathed by a master craftsman, they are then stacked and primed with potato paste over several days. Finally the dolls are hand-painted by master painters.
- ⭐ EUROPEAN TRADITION | Since nesting dolls made their way to Europe, they have been openly embraced and spun to represent values and traditions more rooted in Slavic culture than in their Chinese origins. Some of these values include: respect for the elderly, unity of the family, fertility, abundance, and the search for truth and the substance of life. The outermost doll represents the mother, and all the ones within it are her children, with the innermost doll representing a baby.
- 🪆 VARIANTS | The Semyonov Matryoshka dolls are the traditional nesting dolls as most people picture them. Red, and yellow, with floral patterns, rosy cheeks and a smile frozen in time. However, with new generations even tradition must give way to new ideas and consumer demands. Matryoshka dolls can now be found in an assortment of shapes and sizes, with different colour schemes and themes. From traditional, to animal themes, political satire, you can even get them blank and paint your own!
- 🎀 TRADITIONAL GIFT | Even with all the new variants available, the Matryoshka dolls are ultimately rooted in tradition, and are generally still gifted as such. These gorgeous handmade dolls have become the stuff of legends among people who value their meaning behind motherhood, family, moral values, fertility and abundance. Gifting one of these beautiful doll sets is not just a gift to simply add to your room decor, it's a gift of love, care and of the heart for your warm hearth.
Product Description
SEMYONOV YELLOW AND RED | The most traditional and recognizable nesting dolls are the classic Semyonov red and yellow dolls. Though both variants look similar, the difference between them is that the red variant has a red headscarf, with a yellow dress. While the yellow variant, has a yellow headscarf, with a red dress. Both variants are adorned with red roses and green leaves on the belly of the doll. They have the traditional smile and rosy cheeks, painted using the classic Khokhloma technique.
TRADITIONAL MATRYOSHKA | SEMYONOV YELLOW AND RED
ORIGINS AND HISTORY:
The Matryoshka nesting dolls have become a staple of Slavic culture since their introduction to Europe in the late 1800s. Though their journey and origin span much further back than most people tend to realise. This staple of Slavic culture actually comes from ancient China, through Japan and only then ended up in Europe.
The quaint beginnings of these, now world famous dolls, actually began as nesting boxes in China around 1000 AD. Craftsmen began to work on making decorative and practical nesting boxes, which were at the time the height of packaging ingenuity. It was not until the 1700s when Chinese carpenters began experimenting with the idea of nesting dolls, and began crafting them, with the innermost doll holding a single grain of rice. These dolls soon made their way to Japan, where they took off as the Japanese had a similar tradition of doll making at the time, even nesting dolls. Similar to nesting dolls, Kokeshi Dolls and Daruma Dolls do not have arms or legs, and are hand painted with decorative bodies and simplified facial features.
In Japan the nesting dolls took on a new form from their Chinese counterparts where they were most commonly created to represent the Seven Lucky Gods from Japanese mythology. The biggest outermost doll would usually represent Fukurokuju, the Japanese god of happiness and longevity. His distinct feature was an abnormally long forehead. The Japanese nesting dolls soon found themselves travelling the world and some sets ended up in the hands of a wealthy European art patron by the name of Savva Mamontov around 1890.
Mamontov and one of his artists, Sergei Maliutin with the help of master craftsman Vassily Zviozdochkin created the first European set of nesting dolls in the Education Workshop. Their concept was to turn the nesting dolls into a symbol for the Slavic people, which would represent the beliefs, principles and values of regular everyday people.
MAKING MATRYOSHKAS
Matryoshkas are handcrafted from Linden wood. The logs are aerated in the open for two or three years. A master woodworker decides when they are ready to be worked, so the tree trunks are cut into logs appropriate for the heights of the matryoshkas to be made.
CARVING THE WOOD
A wood carver uniquely crafts each set of wooden calipers. Multiple pieces of wood are meticulously carved into the nesting set. They are produced using a lathe equipped with balance bar; distinct types of chisels and wood carving knives, and a set of handmade wooden calipers particular to the size of a doll. The tools are hand forged by the village blacksmith.
THE PROCESS
Matryoshka-making begins with the smallest doll, this one is a solid piece. Its shape and size determine those of all the larger dolls that follow. Afterwards, the bottom half of the next doll is turned, and a ring to attach it to the upper part is made, then the upper part is made, carving the insert for the ring. Finally the woodworker puts together upper and lower half and leaves them to dry. This tightens the ring so the halves will close securely.
The woodworker does not work with measures during the process, sizing the dolls to fit each other is an art, which makes each doll unique.
PAINTING NESTING DOLLS
Each doll is covered with oil-varnish to retain moisture and prevent cracking. Then it is painted using high-quality tempera or oil. The painters are true artists who can achieve great detail, each artist likes to express their art following a theme but creating their own design each time. This is why you will find variations in the matryoshkas design compared to the photo. After the paint has dried, the dolls are finished with a protective coating of varnish or lacquer.
HOW TO OPEN YOUR MATRYOSHKA
1. Lay the nesting doll on a soft flat surface.
2. Place the doll so that its seam is perpendicular to the ground.
3. Place the palm of your hand on the steam and apply light downward pressure until the doll begins to open.
4. Press as many times as needed but don’t press too hard to avoid breaking your doll.
