“How many selves do we contain, like Russian dolls concealed within one another.” – Susan Hill
I saw these nesting dolls on the Window in one of my walks in the city before Christmas.
It is in a shop in the Royal Arcade named Babushka and it is a whole shop full of Russian nesting dolls. The window display is so cute to look at and they even have modernised versions with Winnie the Poo characters and Santa Clauses. These Matryoshka dolls, stacking dolls, nesting dolls, Russian dolls and it is a set of wooden dolls placed one inside the other in decreasing sizes.
But what is the history behind these stacked dolls?
The matryoshka doll is a symbol of Russia and its culture. It is truly a doll—a child’s plaything—but it began its history just over 100 years ago as a highly collectible art form. The matryoshka doll (or, simply, the matryoshka) is a nested doll with two halves that can be pulled apart. The outer figure contains increasingly smaller versions of itself.
The painted image on the dolls is most often a woman wearing traditional Russian costume. The woman is a mother; the names Matryona and Matryoshka were common Russian country names for generations. Encyclopaedia.com
SquareUp – A coUPle of Stacked Up Dolls
Please click image to enlarge
The Santas are handsome
Haha yes they certainly are! Thanks Alice for stopping by!
I need a Tigger Russian doll! And can I be greedy and have Eeyore too? 🙂 🙂 It’s urgent!
You can have Piglet and Winnie the Pooh too, to complete the set haha
So vibrant! I’ve got a Gruffalo set (what else?!) but I have to paint it myself. Or I’ll keep it for the grandchildren, I haven’t decided yet.
That is nice. You have to share it here!
very colorful, T. 🙂
Thanks Wi! I so enjoy walking around and just lucky to find bits and pieces.
I love nesting dolls! I actually have one 🙂 I think if I were to start a collection of anything, this would be one of them.
It would be lovely to do that. You gave me an idea my friend!
🤗 🌻
I love nesting dolls – got my very first set a few years ago. It is a set of cats though!
Cat is cute!
These are fun 🙂 I can’t imagine a whole shop with nothing else however!
There are some other stuff too…was a bit exaggerated there haha
These are all so bright and beautiful. Wonderful photos 😀
Thanks so much Cee!