History of the Matryoshka Nesting Doll - Russian Nesting Dolls

The Matryoshka nesting dolls of Russia originated in about the year 1890. It is said that Russian painter and craftsman Sergei Maliutin used a set of Korean wooden nesting dolls as inspiration for the Russian version of this toy. The Russian version featured a mother-figure with six more nested boy and girl dolls and finally a baby as the innermost doll. The name Matriyosha was a popular female name at the time, derived from the Latin "mater" which means "mother". Thus the name "matryoshka" became a good descriptive name for the dolls featuring a mother-figure as it's outermost layer.

The intricate artwork shown on these dolls throughout history are typical of the type of craftsman producing folk art throughout Russia. Today's Matryoshka dolls feature popular cultural and political figures in addition to traditional art.