The history of the appearance of the first matryoshkain Russia.
Matryoshka is a real Russian beauty. Ruddy, in an elegant sundress, on her head a bright kerchief. But the matryoshka is not a lazy person, in her hands she is holding a sickle and ears of corn, a duck or a cockerel, or a basket of mushrooms and berries. But, most importantly, this doll is with a secret! Cheerful little sisters are hiding inside it, small - small less. They came up with a nursery rhyme about the matryoshka: Matryoshka walked along the path, There were a few of them: Two Matryoshka, three Matryoshka And another Matryoshka! Compared to other toys, the painted wooden doll is young, just over a hundred years old. For a folk toy, this is not age. The oldest dolls found by archaeologists are more than three thousand years old! The prototype of nesting dolls could be "Easter eggs" - wooden, painted Easter eggs, they have been made in Russia for many centuries. They are hollow inside, and less is invested in more. Painted wooden doll appeared in Russia in the 90s of the XIX century. At this time, interest in Russian culture and art began to appear actively. A whole artistic direction "Russian style" emerged. One of the first centers for the revival of Russian culture was the Mamontov circle. Savva Ivanovich Mamontov (1841 - 1918), a major Russian industrialist, patron and connoisseur of arts (philanthropist), gathered around him a group of prominent Russian artists. Among them were I.E. Repin, M.M. Antokolsky, V.M. Vasnetsov, M.A. Vrubel and others. Art workshops were created in Mamontov's Abramtsevo estate near Moscow, in which objects of national art, including toys, were produced and collected. To revive and develop the traditions of this toy, a workshop "Children's education" was opened in Moscow. At first, dolls were created in it, which were dressed in festive folk costumes of different provinces (regions) of Russia. It was in this workshop that the idea of creating a Russian wooden doll was born. According to a sketch by the artist Sergei Malyutin, the local turner Zvezdochkin carved the first wooden doll. And when Malyutin painted it, it turned out a girl in a Russian sarafan. (XIX century.) Matryoshka Malyutin was a chubby girl in an embroidered shirt, a sundress and an apron, in a flowered scarf, with a black rooster in her hands. The first Russian nesting doll, carved according to the sketches of S.V. Malyutin, consisted of eight dolls. The girl with the rooster was followed by a boy, then a girl…. The last doll was a swaddled baby. The idea of creating a detachable wooden doll was suggested to Malyutin by a Japanese toy, which was brought from the Japanese island of Honshu by the wife of Savva Mamontov. It was a figurine of a good-natured old man, sage Fukurumu, with several figurines nested inside. However, the Japanese believe that the first such toy was carved on the island of Honshu by a Russian wanderer - a monk. The Russian wooden doll was named matryoshka by the name Matryona, which is very common among the people. This name is based on the Latin word "mater" - mother. And today the matryoshka remains a symbol of motherhood. The first matryoshka was made by the artist Malyutin himself. After the closing of the "Children's Education" workshop, the production of wooden dolls was mastered in Sergiev Posad, an old center for the production of toys, near Moscow. They were turned on a lathe. The city of Sergiev Posad arose around the monastery - Trinity - Sergius Lavra, founded in 1340 by the monk Sergius of Radonezh. According to legend, the first wooden toy was carved by Sergius of Radonezh himself. He presented toys to local children. The pilgrims who came to the Lavra from all over Russia bought toys for their children here. Even the children of the royal family had toys from Sergiev Posad ("funny carts" with horses, "red spoons"). In addition to nesting dolls depicting real people of their time, dolls based on literary works have spread. In 1912, by the centenary of the Patriotic War of 1812, matryoshka dolls were created that depicted Kutuzov and Napoleon. Inside they had figures of warlords. They painted nesting dolls based on fairy tales and epics: "Tsar Dodon", "Princess - Swan", "Little Humpbacked Horse". Sergiev-Posad nesting dolls had from two to twenty-four inserts. The largest is considered to be a 60-seat doll, carved in 1967. Thanks to the popularity of this nesting doll, other centers for its production and painting began to appear in Russia: in Semyonov, Polkhovsky - Maidan, in Vyatka, Tver, Yoshkar - Ola and other places. Each of them has its own style and painting.
Types of nesting dolls.
Sergievo - Posad matryoshka.
Semyonovskaya nesting doll.
Polkhovsko - Maidanovskaya nesting dolls.
When and where did the matryoshka first appear, who invented it? Why is this wooden folding toy doll called "matryoshka"? What does such a unique work of folk art symbolize?
From the very first attempts to find intelligible answers, it turned out to be impossible - the information about the matryoshka turned out to be rather confusing. For example, there are "Matryoshka Museums", in the media and on the Internet you can read many interviews and articles on this topic. But museums or museum expositions, as well as numerous publications, as it turned out, are mainly devoted to various artistic samples of nesting dolls made in different regions of Russia and at different times. But little is said about the true origin of the matryoshka.
To begin with, let me remind you of the main versions, myths, regularly copied under a carbon copy and wandering through the pages of various publications.
A frequently repeated well-known version: the matryoshka appeared in Russia at the end of the 19th century, the artist Malyutin invented it, the turner Zvezdochkin carved it in the Mamontov's "Childhood Education" workshop, and served as the prototype of the Russian nesting doll. He Fukurokuju he is Fukurokuju(different sources indicate different transcriptions of the name).
Another version the appearance of the future nesting doll in Russia - a certain Russian Orthodox missionary monk who had visited Japan and copied a composite toy from the Japanese one was allegedly the first to carve such a toy. Let's make a reservation right away: there is no exact information where the legend about the mythical monk came from, and there is no specific information in any source. Moreover, some strange monk turns out from the point of view of elementary logic: would a Christian copy an essentially pagan deity? What for? Did you like the toy? It is doubtful, although from the point of view of borrowing and the desire to alter it in your own way, it is possible.
Japanese Fukuruma doll:
Russian nesting doll:
Version three - The Japanese figurine was allegedly brought from the island in 1890 to the Mamontovs' estate near Moscow in Abramtsevo.
« Japanese toy was with a secret: his whole family was hiding in the old man Fukurumu. One Wednesday, when the art elite came to the estate, the hostess showed everyone a funny figurine. The detachable toy interested the artist Sergei Malyutin, and he decided to do something similar. Japanese deity he, of course, did not repeat, made a sketch of a chubby peasant girl in a flowered kerchief. And to make her look more human, I drew a black rooster in her hand. The next young lady was with a sickle in her hand. Another - with a loaf of bread. What about sisters without a brother - and he appeared in a painted shirt. A whole family, friendly and hardworking.
He ordered V. Zvezdochkin, the best lathe operator in the Sergiev Posad training and demonstration workshops, to make his own nevyvalinka. The first matryoshka is now kept in the Toy Museum in Sergiev Posad. Painted with gouache, it doesn't look very festive.
But, firstly, the turner Zvezdochkin did not work until 1905 in the Sergiev Posad workshops! This will be discussed below. Secondly, other sources say that “she was born (matryoshka - approx.) Right here, in Leontyevsky lane (in Moscow - approx.), In house number 7, where there used to be a workshop-shop“ Children's Education ”, owned by Anatoly Ivanovich Mamontov, brother of the famous Savva. Anatoly Ivanovich, like his brother, was fond of national art. In his workshop-shop, artists constantly worked on the creation of new toys for children. And one of the samples was made in the form of a wooden doll, which was turned on a lathe and depicted a peasant girl in a scarf and an apron. This doll opened, and there was another peasant girl, in her - another ... "
Confusion has already been created, according to the principle of "who, where and when was, or was not." Perhaps the most painstaking, thorough and balanced study was carried out by Irina Sotnikova - the article "Who invented the matryoshka". The arguments given by the author of the study most objectively reflect the real facts of the appearance of such an unusual toy as the matryoshka in Russia.
Sotnikova writes the following about the exact date of the matryoshka's appearance: “… sometimes the appearance of the matryoshka is dated 1893-1896, since it was possible to establish these dates from the reports and reports of the Moscow provincial zemstvo council. In one of these reports for 1911, N.D. Bartram 1 writes that the matryoshka was born about 15 years ago, and in 1913 in the Bureau's report to the artisan council, he says that the first matryoshka was created 20 years ago. That is, relying on such approximate messages is rather problematic, therefore, in order to avoid mistakes, the end of the 19th century is usually named, although there is a mention of 1900, when the matryoshka won recognition at the World Exhibition in Paris, and orders for its production appeared abroad. "
This is followed by a very curious remark about the artist Malyutin, about whether he was in fact the author of the matryoshka sketch: “All researchers, without saying a word, call him the author of the matryoshka sketch. But the sketch itself is not in the artist's legacy. There is no evidence that the artist ever made this sketch. Moreover, the turner Zvezdochkin ascribes the honor of inventing the matryoshka to himself, without mentioning Malyutin at all. "
As for the origin of our Russian nesting doll from the Japanese Fukuruma, Zvezdochkin does not mention anything here either. Now you should pay attention to an important detail that somehow escapes other researchers, although this, as they say, can be seen with the naked eye - we are talking about a certain ethical moment. If we take as a basis the version of "the origin of the matryoshka from the sage Fukuruma", a rather strange feeling arises - SHE and OH, i.e. The Russian nesting doll, they say, descended from him, from the Japanese sage. In a suspicious way, a symbolic analogy with the Old Testament tale arises, where Eve was created from the rib of Adam (that is, she descended from him, and not vice versa, as it happens naturally in nature).
Let's return to Sotnikova's research: “Here is how turner Zvezdochkin describes the emergence of the matryoshka:“ ... In 1900 (!) I invent a three- and six-seat (!) Matryoshka and send it to an exhibition in Paris. He worked for Mamontov for 7 years. In 1905 V.I. Borutsky subscribes me to Sergiev Posad in the workshop of the Moscow provincial zemstvo as a master. " From the materials of the autobiography of V.P. Zvezdochkin, written in 1949, it is known that Zvezdochkin entered the children's education workshop in 1898 (he was born in the village of Shubino, Podolsk district). This means that the matryoshka could not have been born earlier than 1898. Since the master's memoirs were written almost 50 years later, it is still difficult to vouch for their accuracy, therefore, the appearance of the matryoshka can be dated approximately 1898-1900 years. As you know, the World's Fair in Paris opened in April 1900, which means that this toy was created a little earlier, possibly in 1899. By the way, the Mamontovs received a bronze medal for toys at the Paris exhibition. "
Russian nesting doll:
But what about the shape of the toy and did Zvezdochkin borrow the idea of a future nesting doll, or not? Or was the initial sketch of the figurine created by the artist Malyutin?
“Interesting facts were collected by E.N. Shulgina, who in 1947 became interested in the history of the creation of the matryoshka. From conversations with Zvezdochkin, she learned that he had once seen a "suitable chock" in a magazine and carved a figurine based on her model, which had a "ridiculous appearance, looked like a nun" and was "deaf" (did not open). On the advice of the masters Belov and Konovalov, he carved it differently, then they showed the toy to Mamontov, who approved the product and gave it to a group of artists who worked somewhere on the Arbat to paint. This toy was selected for an exhibition in Paris. Mamontov received an order for it, and then Borutsky bought samples and distributed them to handicraftsmen.
Probably, we will never be able to find out exactly about the participation of S.V. Malyutin in creating a nesting doll. According to the memoirs of V.P. It turns out that the shape of the matryoshka was invented by him himself, but the master could have forgotten about the painting of the toy, many years passed, the events were not recorded: after all, then no one could have imagined that the matryoshka would become so famous. S.V. Malyutin at that time collaborated with the publishing house A.I. Mamontov, illustrated books, so he could well paint the first nesting doll, and then other masters painted the toy on his model ”
:
Now about the prototype of the matryoshka. Was there? Some doubt it, although why did this legend appear then, and is it a legend? It seems that a wooden god is still kept in the Toy Museum in Sergiev Posad. Perhaps this is also one of the legends. By the way, N.D. Bartram, director of the Toy Museum, doubted that the nesting doll “was borrowed by us from the Japanese. The Japanese are great masters of turning toys. But their well-known "kokeshi" in principle of their construction do not look like a nesting doll. "
Who is our mysterious Fukuruma, good-natured bald sage, where did he come from? ... By tradition, they visit temples dedicated to the deities of fortune, and acquire their small figurines there. May be, legendary Fukuruma contained the six other fortune deities within him? This is just our assumption (rather controversial).
V.P. Zvezdochkin does not mention Fukuruma at all - a figurine of a saint that was decomposed into two parts, then another old man appeared, and so on. Note that in Russian folk crafts, detachable wooden products were also very popular, for example, the well-known Easter eggs. So there was Fukuruma, it was not, it is difficult to recognize, but not so important. Who remembers him now? But the whole world knows and loves our matryoshka! "
Russian nesting doll:
Why was the original wooden toy doll called "matryoshka"? Almost unanimously, all researchers refer to the fact that this name comes from the female name Matryona, common in Russia: “The name Matryona comes from the Latin Matrona, which means“ noble woman, ”Matrona was written in the church way, among the diminutive names: Motya, Motrya, Matryosha, Matyusha, Tyusha, Matusya, Tusya, Musya. That is, in theory, the matryoshka could be called a motka (or muska). It sounds, of course, strange, although what is worse, for example, "marfushka"? Also a good and common name is Martha. Or Agafya, by the way, a popular painting on porcelain is called "eaglet". Although we agree that the name “Matryoshka” is a very apt one, the doll has really become “noble”.
The very name Matrona really means "noble woman" in translation from Latin, and is included in the Orthodox Church calendar. But, as for the assertion of many researchers that Matryona is a female name, very beloved and widespread among the peasantry in Russia, there are interesting facts here. Some researchers simply forget that Russia is big. And this means that the same name, or the same image can contain both positive and negative, allegorical meaning.
So, for example, in "Tales and Legends of the Northern Territory", collected by I.V. Karnaukhova, there is a fairy tale "Matryona". In which it tells how a woman named Matryona almost tortured the devil. In the published text, a passer-by-potter saves the devil from a lazy and harmful woman and, accordingly, further scares the devil with her.
In this context, Matryona is a kind of prototype of an evil wife, whom the devil himself is afraid of. Similar descriptions are found in Afanasyev. The plot about an evil wife, popular in the Russian North, was repeatedly recorded by GIIS expeditions in "classical" versions, in particular, from A.S. Krashaninnikova, 79 years old, from the village of Meshkarevo, Povenets district.
Russian nesting doll:
At one of the forums on the topic of culture, in particular, deployed on the Internet, literally the following sounded: “The prototype of the Russian nesting doll (also has Indian roots) - japanese wooden doll... For a sample. According to its origins, it is an image of the ancient Indian sage Daruma (Skt. Bodhidharma) who moved to China in the 5th century. His teachings spread widely in Japan in the Middle Ages. called for the comprehension of the truth through silent contemplation, and in one of the legends he is a cave recluse, fat from immobility. According to another legend, his legs were taken away from immobility (hence legless sculptures of Daruma):
Nevertheless, the matryoshka immediately won unprecedented recognition as a symbol of Russian folk art.
There is a belief that if you put a note with a desire inside the matryoshka, it will certainly come true, and the more work is put into the matryoshka, i.e. the more places there are in it and the higher the quality of the matryoshka painting, the faster the wish will come true. Matryoshka is warmth and comfort in the house " 
It is difficult to disagree with the latter - the more places there are in the matryoshka, i.e. the more internal figures, one smaller than the other, the more you can put notes with desires there and wait for them to be performed. This is a kind of game, and the nesting doll here acts as a very charming, cute, homely symbol, a real work of art.
As for the eastern sage Daruma (here's another name for the "predecessor" of the matryoshka!) - to be honest, the "sage" who has grown fat from immobility, and even with his legs taken away, is extremely poorly associated with a Russian toy, in which everyone sees a positive, elegant symbolic image. And because of this beautiful image, our nesting doll is very famous and popular almost all over the world. We are not talking at all about "nesting dolls" in the form of male (!) Political figures, whose caricatured faces were flooded by enterprising artisans in the nineties all of Old Arbat in Moscow. This is, first of all, about the continuation of the old traditions of different schools in the painting of Russian nesting dolls, about the creation of matryoshka dolls of different quantity (so-called "terrain").
In the process of working on this material, it became necessary to use related sources, not only dedicated to the topic of Russian folk toys. Do not forget that in antiquity, and not only in Russia, various jewelry (for women and men), household items, as well as toys carved from wood or made of clay, played the role of not just objects that brighten up everyday life - but also carriers of certain symbols, had some meaning. And the very concept of symbolism was closely intertwined with mythology.
So, in an amazing way, there was a coincidence of the name Matron, who migrated (according to the generally accepted version) from Latin to Russian, with ancient Indian images:
MATRI (Old Ind. "Mother"), the emphasis is on the first syllable - in Hindu mythology, divine mothers, personifying the creative and destructive forces of nature. The idea of an active feminine principle was widely recognized in Hinduism in connection with the spread of the shakti cult. Matris were considered as female personifications of the creative energy of the great gods: Brahma, Shiva, Skanda, Vishnu, Indra, etc. The number of the Matri ranged from seven to sixteen; some texts have spoken of them as "the great crowd."
Doesn't this remind you of anything? Matryoshka is a "mother", which symbolizes, in fact, the FAMILY, and even consisting of a different number of figures that symbolize children of different ages. This is no longer just a coincidence, but a proof of common, Indo-European roots, which is directly related to the Slavs.
From this we can draw the following conclusion: figuratively speaking, if the symbolic "journey" of an unusual wooden figurine begins in India, then gets its continuation in China, from there the figurine gets to Japan, and only then "unexpectedly" finds its place in Russia - the statement that that ours is untenable. If only because the figurine of some oriental sage itself is not originally Japanese. Probably, the hypothesis about the extensive settlement of the Slavs and the spread of their culture, which subsequently influenced the cultures of other peoples, including the one that manifested itself both in language and in the divine pantheon, has a common basis for Indo-European civilization.
Matryoshka's story
This Russian beauty conquered the hearts of lovers of folk toys and beautiful souvenirs around the world ...
Matryoshka ... This Russian beauty conquered the hearts of lovers of folk toys and beautiful souvenirs all over the world. Now she is not just a folk toy, the keeper of the primordial Russian culture: she is also a souvenir for tourists - a memorable doll, on the apron of which play scenes, stories of fairy tales and landscapes with sights are subtly drawn; she is also a precious collectible that can cost more than one hundred dollars; and young artists can experiment with her image by purchasing special "blanks" - "linen" - in the art salon or from the master-turner himself. Matryoshka has become the same traditional souvenir of Russia and a symbol of its culture, like Dymkovo toys, Zhostovo trays ... Matryoshka is not only wooden and inserted into each other - tiny glass painted nesting dolls connected by one thread can be hung on a Christmas tree; Keychains, pendants and pendants with figurines of "indivisible" nesting dolls we see a lot on the trays in Sergiev Posad - the capital of Russian toys ...
The first matryoshka - a chubby and plump cheerful girl in a headscarf and Russian folk dress - was not born in antiquity, as many believe. The figurine of the Buddhist sage Fukuruma, brought to Abramtsevo at the end of the 19th century from the island of Honshu (Japan), served as a prototype for this doll. The wooden sage had an elongated head and a good-natured face - and inspired by a charming toy (according to legend, such figures were first carved by a Russian monk who lived on the island of Honshu!), In the early 1890s, toy turner Vasily Zvezdochkin carved the first Russian nesting doll. From the walls of the "Children's Education" workshop, founded by the philanthropist Savva Mamontov, came a ruddy-faced beauty painted with gouache with a rooster in her hands, which became the first nesting doll made in Russia. The sketch for its painting was created by the artist Sergei Malyutin, who personally painted the matryoshka and painted it. The first matryoshka was eight-seat - inside the big girl there was a smaller boy, and so on - boys and girls alternated, and the smallest, "indivisible" matryoshka was a swaddled baby.
But where did this name come from - matryoshka? Some historians argue that this name came from the beloved and common name Masha, Manya in Russia; others - that this name originates from the female name Matryona (translated from Latin as mater - mother), and still others believe that the name "matryoshka" is associated with the name of the Hindu goddess-mother Matri ... At the end of the 19th century in Russia there was a huge rise in interest in Russian history, folk art, fairy tales, epics and crafts. Matryoshka quickly gained wide popularity and earned the love of the people. But she was dear - and this doll, intended for children, was mainly bought by adult connoisseurs of art. Soon after matryoshka dolls, painted with floral ornaments, matryoshka dolls appeared, decorated with picturesque subjects from fairy tales and epics. Such nesting dolls "told" whole stories. In 1900, Russian nesting dolls "reached" Paris - they were exhibited in this city at the World Exhibition, where they received world recognition and a medal. By the way, at the beginning of the twentieth century, some nesting dolls really "learned" to walk: the legs of such a nesting doll, "shod" in sandals, are mobile - and it can walk if you put it on an inclined plane. Such toys are called "walking dolls". The principles of making nesting dolls have not changed over the long years that this toy has existed. Matryoshka dolls are made from well-dried durable linden and birch wood. The smallest one-piece nesting doll is always made first, which can be very tiny - the size of a grain of rice. Carving nesting dolls is a subtle art that takes years to learn; some skilled turners even learn to turn matryoshka dolls blindly! Before painting matryoshkas, they are primed, after painting, they are varnished. In the nineteenth century, gouache was used to paint these toys; now, unique images of nesting dolls are also created using aniline paints, tempera, and watercolors. But gouache still remains the favorite paint of artists who paint matryoshka dolls. First of all, the face of the toy and an apron with a picturesque image are painted, and only then - a sundress and a kerchief. From the middle of the twentieth century, they began not only to paint nesting dolls, but also to decorate them with mother-of-pearl plates, straws, and later with rhinestones and beads ... inlays and "onlays".
There are several cities and villages in Russia where nesting dolls are traditionally produced - and everywhere these dolls have their own characteristics. Craftsmen from the village of Krutets are experimenting with coloring and even - slightly - with the shape of matryoshka dolls. In the village of Polkhovsky Maidan, the matryoshka is the breadwinner and support of the entire village: its residents live almost entirely on the income received from the sale of traditional dolls. Matryoshka dolls from this village are famous for their "rose-colored" drawings - the main element of the ornament of these toys is a rosehip flower. Semyonov nesting dolls - made in the city of Semyonov, Nizhny Novgorod region - are easily recognizable by their rather large unpainted planes and a lush bouquet of fantastic flowers on the apron. They are distinguished by their "spaciousness" - traditionally such a nesting doll consists of 15-18 dolls, and the most capacious nesting doll in Russia, made in Semyonov, is as much as 72 dolls, the largest of which is a meter in height! The most "northern" in Russia is the Vyatka matryoshka. And in Sergiev Posad famous bright nesting dolls were bought even by members of the royal family who came to worship the shrines of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
There are entire museums in Russia dedicated to Russian dolls. The first in Russia - and in the world! - The Matryoshka Museum was opened in 2001 in Moscow. The Moscow Matryoshka Museum is located in the premises of the Folk Crafts Foundation in Leontievsky Lane; its director - Larisa Solovyova - has devoted more than one year to the study of matryoshka dolls. She is the author of two books about these funny wooden dolls. More recently, in 2004, a museum of Russian dolls was opened in the Nizhny Novgorod region - it has collected more than 300 exhibits under its roof. There are matryoshka dolls of the unique Polkhmaidan painting - the very same Polkhov-Maidan dolls that are known all over the world and which the villagers have been bringing for sale to Moscow for many decades in huge baskets, where sometimes they load up to one hundred kilograms of precious toys! The largest matryoshka in this museum is one meter long: it includes 40 dolls. And the smallest is only the size of a grain of rice! Matryoshka dolls are admired not only in Russia: quite recently, in 2005, a group of painted dolls came to the International Trade Fair for High-Quality Consumer Goods "Ambiente-2005" in Germany, in the city of Frankfurt am Main. The image of the matryoshka combines the art of masters and a great love for Russian folk culture. Now on the streets of St. Petersburg and Moscow you can buy a variety of souvenirs for every taste - matryoshka dolls depicting politicians, famous musicians, grotesque characters ... But anyway, every time we say "matryoshka", we immediately imagine a cheerful Russian girl in a bright folk costume ...
