The Matryoshka dolls were born from the creative belly of Sergey Malyutin a very talented artist, illustrator and designer, with the help of Vasily Zvyozdochkin a doll maker and artist in 1890, carved out of wood these beautiful nesting dolls have since stolen the hearts and sparked the imagination of many an artist and designer. You can still find the authentic Russian Babushka dolls in the Sergiyev Posad,Semyonov,Polkhovsky Maidan and Kirov regions in Russia. These dolls are commonly referred to as Babushka dolls, the word "babushka means 'grandmother' or an 'elderly woman'
With the growing love for these adorable dolls, artists and designers across the world have creatively adapted these dolls to reflect various styles of art and elements of their region or country. Today you can find contemporary artists painting theme based artwork like floral, Christmas, Easter, animals or even portraits and caricatures of famous politicians and celebrities.
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| Christmas themed Babushka dolls |
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| Politician themed Babushka dolls |
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| Superhero themed Babushka dolls |
The Babushka doll is one of my all time favourite designs to paint. I remember as a little girl a relative of mine returning from Russia, had gifted me a set of these adorable nesting dolls and I was instantly awe stuck by the intricate and elaborate artwork on each piece, my personal favourite was the tiniest one! Every time I paint a Babushka doll teapot it takes me down memory lane, to the many days spent playing my Babushka set of nesting dolls, though I must confess, for all my love for the little baby doll, I did manage to misplace the little baby, guess I wasn't the most careful of kids. Oopssiiieee...
