Matryoshka disassembled

A matryoshka doll (Russian: матрёшка, Russian pronunciation: [mɐˈtrʲoʂkə]) or a Russian nested doll (also called a stacking doll or Babooshka doll) is a set of dolls of decreasing sizes placed one inside another. A doll is an object that represents a baby or other human being but includes likenesses of animals and imaginary creatures Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending "Matryoshka" is a derivative of the Russian female first name "Matryona", which is traditionally associated with a fat, robust Russian woman. Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water

A set of matryoshkas consists of a wooden figure which can be pulled apart to reveal another figure of the same sort inside. It has, in turn, another figure inside, and so on. The number of nested figures is usually five or more. The shape is mostly cylindrical, rounded at the top for the head and tapered towards the bottom, but little else; the dolls have no hands (except those that are painted). Traditionally the outer layer is a woman, dressed in a sarafan, holding a rooster. A Sarafan (сарафан from Persian sеrāрā) is a Traditional Russian long shapeless Jumper dress worn as Russian folk costume Inside, it contains other figures that may be of both genders, usually ending in a baby that does not open. The artistry is in the painting of each doll, which can be extremely elaborate.

Matryoshkas are often designed to follow a particular theme, for instance peasant girls in traditional dress, but the theme can be anything, from fairy tale characters to Soviet leaders. A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991

History

Modern Japanese nested dolls

Matryoshkas are a relatively new Russian handicraft; the first one dates from 1890, and is said to have been inspired by souvenir dolls from Japan. Handicraft, also known as craftwork or simply Craft, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or using only simple tools Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. However, the concept of nested objects was familiar in Russia, having been applied to carved wooden apples and Easter eggs; the first Fabergé egg, in 1885, had a nesting of egg, yolk, hen, and chick. A Fabergé egg is any one of sixty-nine jeweled eggs made by Peter Carl Fabergé and his assistants between 1885 and 1917 Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

The story goes that Sergei Maliutin, a painter from a folk crafts workshop in the Abramtsevo estate of a famous Russian industrialist and patron of arts Savva Mamontov, saw a set of Japanese wooden dolls representing Shichi-fuku-jin, the Seven Gods of Fortune. Abramtsevo is an estate located north of Moscow, in the proximity of Khotkovo, that became a center for the Slavophile movement and artistic activity Savva Ivanovich Mamontov ( Савва Иванович Мамонтов, 15 October 3 October 1841 Yalutorovsk, now Tyumen Oblast — The, commonly referred to in English as the Seven Lucky Gods, refer to the seven gods of good fortune in Japanese mythology and folklore. The largest doll was that of Fukurokuju - a happy, bald god with an unusually long chin - and within it nested the six remaining deities. In Japan, Fukurokuju (福禄寿 (from Japanese fuku, "happiness" roku, "wealth" and ju, "longevity" Inspired, Maliutin drew a sketch of a Russian version of the toy. It was carved by Vasiliy Zvezdochkin in a toy workshop in Sergiyev Posad and painted by Sergei Maliutin. Sergiyev Posad (Се́ргиев Поса́д is a city and the administrative center of Sergiyevo-Posadsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia It consisted of eight dolls; the outermost was a girl in an apron, then the dolls alternated between boy and girl, with the innermost – a baby.

In 1900, M. A. Mamontova, the wife of Savva Mamontov, presented the dolls at the World Exhibition in Paris and the toy earned a bronze medal. Soon, many other places in Russia started making matryoshki of various styles.

During Perestroika, the leaders of the Soviet Union became a common theme depicted on matreshki. (Перестройка) is the Russian term (now used in English for the economic reforms introduced in June 1987 by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Starting with the largest, Mikhail Gorbachev, then Leonid Brezhnev (Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko almost never appear due to the short length of their respective terms), then Nikita Khrushchev, Josef Stalin and finally the smallest, Vladimir Lenin. Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev ( Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachyov;; born 2 March 1931 in Privolnoye Stavropol Krai) is a Russian politician Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov (Ю́рий Влади́мирович Андро́пов Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov) ( &ndash 9 February 1984 was a Soviet politician Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko (Константи́н Усти́нович Черне́нко Konstantin Ustinovič Černenko; 24 September 1911 &ndash 10 March 1985 was Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (April 17 1894 – September 11 1971 served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 following Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party Newer versions start with Vladimir Putin and then follow with Boris Yeltsin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Joseph Stalin and then Vladimir Lenin. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (; born 7 October 1952 in Leningrad, USSR; now Saint Petersburg, Russia was the second President of Russia Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin () (1 February 1931 23 April 2007 was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999 Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev ( Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachyov;; born 2 March 1931 in Privolnoye Stavropol Krai) is a Russian politician Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party

Modern artists create many new styles of nesting dolls. The most common themes feature animal collections, portraits and caricatures of famous politicians, musicians and popular movie stars. Matryoshka dolls that feature communist leaders of Russia became very popular among Russian people in the early 90's, after collapse of Soviet Union. Today, many talented Russian artists specialize in painting themed matryoshka dolls that feature specific categories of subjects, people or nature.

Popular modern style cats nesting dolls

A doll which represents an old woman is often called a baboushka or babushka, that which represents an old man a dedoushka or dedushka.

There are several areas with notable matryoshka styles; Sergiyev Posad, Semionovo (currently town of Semyonov), Polkholvsky Maidan, and Kirov. Sergiyev Posad (Се́ргиев Поса́д is a city and the administrative center of Sergiyevo-Posadsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia Technical_UniversityJPG|left|thumb|200px|Technical University in Kirov]]Bridge_through_Vyatka_river

Gallery

A set of 7 "Gzhel" Russian dolls	37 piece Russian doll set in a shop in Portobello Road, London	Dedoushka	Celebrity matryoshkas at a souvenir stall in Kiev, Ukraine. Portobello Road is a road in the Notting Hill district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London, England. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe.
A set with an insect theme	Matryoshka The Fair ("Russisches Mosaik")	Several Russian politicians depicted in matryoshka form. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described The politics of Russia ( the Russian Federation) take place in a framework of a federal presidential Republic.	Five Matryoshka dolls
Three matryoshka Dolls	Five matryoshka Dolls	Seven matryoshka Dolls	Star Wars, 5 Set Matryoshka.

Matryoshka metaphor

Matryoshkas are also used metaphorically, as a design paradigm, known as the "matryoshka principle" or "nested doll principle". Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects Design paradigms are models, Archetypes or quintessential examples of designed solutions to problems It denotes a recognizable relationship of "similar object-within-similar object" that appears in the design of many other natural and man-made objects. Examples include the Matryoshka brain and the Matroska media container format. A matrioshka brain is a hypothetical Megastructure, based on the Dyson sphere, of immense computational capacity The Matroska Multimedia Container is an Open standard free Container format, a File format that can hold an unlimited number of video audio

The onion metaphor is of similar character. Organicsalsajpg||thumb|right|Onions used in salsa.]]Cooked onions in frying pan If you peel the outer layer off an onion, a similar onion exists within the outer layer. This structure is employed by designers in applications such as the layering of clothes or the design of tables, where a smaller table sits within a larger table and a yet smaller one within that. See also onion routing. Onion routing is a technique for anonymous communication over a Computer network.

Matryoshkas in popular culture

• The Higglytown Heroes characters are living matryoshkas. Higglytown Heroes is a children's television series currently airing on the Playhouse Disney portion of the Disney Channel, or on
• Matryoshki appear during the credits sequence of John le Carre's television miniseries Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, showing the successive appearance of four dolls, with the fourth doll having no face. John le Carré is the Pseudonym of David John Moore Cornwell (born October 19, 1931 in Poole, Dorset, England Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a Spy novel by John le Carré, first published in 1974 In this case, we have a visual cue with the dolls for Russia (as the plot involves Soviet espionage), as well as with the final doll for the unknown mole, a spy who's buried in the deepest. A mole (also called a defector in place, an informant and in the Mafia a rat) is a Spy who works for an enemy Nation, but whose loyalty
• An episode of The Amazing Race included the players looking for clues hidden among several thousand matryoshkas. The Amazing Race, sometimes referred to as TAR, is a Reality television Game show in which teams of two people (with one exception
• Australian composer Julian Cochran wrote a Russian inspired composition titled 'Wooden Dolls' about a group of Matryoshkas communicating. Julian Cochran (born 14 June, 1974) is an English -born Australian composer
• The couch gag for the season nine Simpsons episode Lisa's Sax has Homer as the outer shell of a matryoshka doll with Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie as the inner shells. " Lisa's Sax " is the third episode of The Simpsons ' ninth season and originally aired on the Fox network on October
• In the video game Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army, Grigori Rasputin (who serves as one of the game's chief antagonists) confines demons within matryoshkas. is an Action role-playing game in the Megami Tensei franchise published by Atlus for the PlayStation 2 in 2006
• In both Toy Story movies, Andy has a Matryoshka doll shaped like a dog. Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-generated Comedy film, directed by John Lasseter and starring Tom Hanks
• In the Zelda game Twilight Princess the first phase of the boss Blizzeta is a giant ice Matryoshka. is an Action-adventure game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Wii and GameCube
• In the American Dad episode, Red October Sky, Steve has a shelf full of matryoshka dolls of famous Russian leaders in the scene where Stan discovers that Steve has become influenced by Sergei Kurglov, a KGB agent. American Dad! is a satirical American animated series produced by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions for 20th Century Red October Sky is an episode of the television program American Dad!.
• The Panic at the Disco music video for the single "That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)" is centered around the concept of matryoshkas. Panic at the Disco (formerly known as Panic! at the Disco) is a Rock band that originated in Las Vegas Nevada, USA.

External links

• Detailed information about Matryoshka