… For a long time before that, the Far East people engaged in combining dolls, tables, trunks, and other objects in order to conserve space. The story goes that the first Russian doll was created by a master toy maker in Sergiev Posad, home of the well-known monastery, as well as of several wooden toy workshops that sprung up nearby. The doll was subsequently widely imitated. Soon, it became the symbol of Russia.

The Art of the Russian Matryoshka, written by Rett Ertl and Rick Hibberd, is a wonderfully illustrated book on Russian Matryoshka nesting dolls. It covers matryoshkas’ history, the process of the dolls’ production, their different styles, as well as the biographies of several renowned contemporary matryoshka craftsmen. The authors use their many years of experience in Russia to present all information in a straightforward and engaging style, combining the story of the nesting dolls with the story of Russia’s development.

 In addition to a photo of the first Russian matryoshka, the history passages include original photos of several of Russia’s first matryoshka artists. For historical research, Rett Ertl commissioned papers by three leading Russian authorities on toys and folk art. As the photos make astonishingly clear, the tools and techniques for making matryoshka have essentially remained unchanged since the time when the first dolls were made. The book shows and describes each step in the laborious manufacturing process, from the cutting and drying of linden and birch logs, to the preparation of the wood and turning it on a lathe, to the priming, painting and lacquering of the dolls. The photos reveal a Russia that most would think had disappeared long ago. In classifying and describing the immense variety of shapes, sizes, and styles of dolls, Rett Ertl brings to bear his extensive experience as an importer of Russian crafts. He has applied the preciseness of his businessman’s techniques to survey the entire range of the matryoshka dolls, from toys and souvenirs, to works of fine art. In the fourth chapter, the decorative and artistic themes are categorized with delightful examples, all of which are illustrated in full color. The chapter on cities and factories describes the "Matryoshka Trail", beginning in Sergiev Posad, which is still a major production center, moving to Polkhovsky Maidan, where matryoshka making is literally a backyard business, and includes the large factories in Semyonov, Kirov, and Nolinsk. Photos of the factories and descriptions of how they have developed provide another unique perspective on matryoshka making and today’s Russia.      

Production has blossomed since the fall of the Soviet Union. It's not unusual to find matryoshka dolls for sale in ethnic shops beyond Russia. Artists can create whatever they wish and have the freedom to sell them competitively. Creating matryoshka dolls has also provided a living to people who have lost the jobs that they held in the former planned economy. The chapter on artists gives a brief look into the lives of some of these independent matryoshka craftsmen.      

At the end, Ertl gives advice on collecting matryoshka dolls. Dolls shown throughout the book come from Ertl’s own shelves, several collectors in the United States, Russian museums, and other importers’ and specialty shops. Readers are encouraged to collect matryoshka dolls as an accessible way to participate in a Russian folk art tradition that is tightly tied to the past, yet has evolved to reflect the fascinating changes occurring in Russia today.

To order The Art of the Russian Matryoshka book through Russian-American Business, please send requests along with a payment of 69.99 [check, cash, money order] to the magazine’s address: PO Box 125, Norman, OK 73070