Until late 1890s matryoshkas were manufactured
in 'Children's Education' workshop in Moscow. When it was closed
the tradition of matryoshka making was maintained in the training
workshop in Sergiev Posad, Russian toy-making centre. Soon large-scale
production of matryoshkas was launched there. The workshops
developed the type of matryoshka which is known as Sergiev Posad
or Zagorsk matryoshka. (In 1930 the city was renamed Zagorsk.
Now it has its historical name back). Sergiev
Posad is situated 73km (45.5 miles) from Moscow. It has grown
up around famous Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery. In 1340 the
monk St. Sergius Radonezhsky founded a small temple lost in
the midst of the wild forests. In time it was developed into
the biggest monastery of Russia.
Arts and crafts were flourished in the towns
and villages which surrounded the monastery. Wooden toys which
were known as 'Trinity' toys became particular popular. According
to the legend the first 'Trinity' wooden toy was made by the
Prior of the Monastery, Sergius Radonezhsky.
He personally gave the toys to the children. The pilgrims
who came to the Monastery from all over the country were quite
happy to buy toys for their children. Even the Tsar's children
played with wooden 'Trinity' toys - wooden harnesses, small
bowls and spoons. They were purchased in Sergiev Posad where
Russian tsars went to pray with their families. Wooden toys,
a peasant girl in kokoshnik (peasant head-dress), a dancing
muzhik (peasant man) and well-dressed ladies and hussars came
down to us from the end of the 18th century beginning of the
19th century. These toys were real wooden painted figurines.
Wooden painted carved ladies and hussars had individuality
and looked like real characters.
The new wooden toy, matryoshka, painted by
professianoal artists in Moscow workshop had a secound birth
in this old toy-making center with numerous workshops where
skilful hereditary masters worked. In 1900 Russian matryoshka
took part in World Exhibition in Paris where it got a medal
and became internationally known. The first foreign orders
for wooden dolls were made at that time. It could be fulfilled
only by skilled craftsmen of Sergiev Posad. In 1904 A. I.
Mamontov sold his shop to S. T. Morozov. Then S. T. Morosov
opened a branch of Crafts Museum and a workshop in Sergiev
Posad. Vasiliy Zviozdoch-kin, the turner, who made the first
Russian matryoshka came from bunches of flowers or dressed
in winter short fur coats and scarves; old believer women
in their sectarian clothes; a bride and a bridegroom holding
candles in their hands; a shepherd with a pipe; an old man
with a lush beard. At the early period of Sergiev Posad technique
development along with female images male images were made
as well.
Sometimes matryoshka represented the whole
family with numerous children and members of household. Some
matryoshkas were devoted to historical themes. They portrayed
boyars and their wives, Russian nobility of the 17th century
and legendary Russian bogatyrs (warriors). Some matryoshkas
were devoted to the book characters. For instance, in 1909
to celebrate the centenary of Gogol's birth, a series of matryoshkas
portrayed the characters of his books: Taras Bulba, Plyushkin,
Governor. In 1912, to celebrate the centenary of the Patriotic
War against Napoleon matryoshkas portrayed Kutuzov and Napoleon
whose figurines contained smaller figurines of their field
commanders. Some matryoshkas borrowed their subjects from
folk tales and folk heroic sagas: Tsar Dadon and Princess
Swan from Pushkin's tales, 'The Little Humpback Horse' from
Yershov's tale, some characters from Krilov's fable 'The Quartet'.
Along with painted decorations, some matryoshkas
featured poker work. Usually poker work was applied to outline
the ornament of the whole doll, its clothes, face, hands,
scarf and hair. Sometimes the poker pattern was supplemented
with a slight tinging of minor decorative details, for instance,
a bunch of flowers in the matryoshka's hands or the floral
design on the scarf. The traditional matryoshka was also a
subject of some experiment. Some figurines were given a shape
of an old Russian helmet or a cone. But these 'innovations'
were not that popular with customers who preferred the traditional
matryoshka.
Though the first painted matryoshkas of Sergiev
Posad were quite expensive, they quickly won admiration of
adults and children. Four years after the successful presentation
of Russian painted matryoshka at the World Exhibition in Paris
in 1900, 'The Russian Craftsmen' partnership opened a permanent
shop in Pans where orders came to make matryoshkas. In 1911
such orders for matryoshkas came from 14 countries. The Russian
matryoshka was so popular that foreign businessmen started
to manufacture a la Russe dolls.
Such dolls were on sale in Germany, France
and other countries but the trend petered out because it did
not have national soil. On the contrary, the art of the Russian
matryoshka of Sergiev Posad was developed further. In 1911
the list of the products of Sergiev Zemstvo training workshop
included 21 types of matryoshkas: they had different sizes,
painting and different amount of pieces. The matryoshkas of
Sergiev Posad consisted of 2 to 24 pieces. The most popular
matryoshkas consisted of 3, 8 and 12 pieces. In 1913 a 48-piece
matryoshka made by N. Bulichev was displayed at the Exhibition
of Toys in St. Petersburg.
In the initial period of Russian matryoshka
development, a turner played a very important role. Highly
skilled masters turned matryoshkas with very thin sides which
was considered to be a special art of matryoshka turning.
Apparently, painting was secondary. Professional artists who
painted the first turned matryoshkas didn't treat it seriously
enough. It was sort of entertain - caricatures in the Museum
Estate Polenovo.
During the first two decades matryoshkas were
rather diverse. The first group included matryoshkas painted
in Russian style or more generally in modern style by professional
artists. The first matryoshka painted by S. V. Maliutin represented
a figurine of a bull-calf, dressed in the chamberlain costume,
decorated by poker work with a characteristic ornament in
the modern style.
The second group included matryoshkas made
in the independent workshops of Sergiev Posad. They were painted
by the artists from the local icon painting school. In the
first decades of the 20th century craftsmen of Sergiev Posad
developed their own technique of painting and decoration based
on deep national traditions. This sincere, naive, unsubtle
art impressed everybody and was understood by all. Due to
the fact that this art was based on the national culture,
it was full of coarse force and expression and was different
from exquisite matryoshkas painted by professional artists.
'An Old Man', 'Matryoshka with a Goose', 'Matryoshka with
a Basket' and others belong to this group. Folk art tradition
was very important in the development of the Russian matryoshka
style. Due to the widest layer of folk culture, matryoshka
continued to exist even after Russian style, developed by
Russian professional artists was forgotten. Icon painters
of Sergiev Posad contributed a lot to matryoshka pictorial
style. Anthropomorphism, in other words, resemblance to a
human being of the Russian 'take apart' doll turned out to
be the continuation of ancient Rus sian art tradition. An
artist focused mainly on the figure of a person, his or her
face.
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