Art of the Russian Matryoshka [1st ed]

Product Description

Art of the Russian Matryoshka. R. Ertl and R. Hibberd. This book was written, produced and published a while ago, when cooperation with Russia was deemed fundamental to improving world relationships. CO (Boulder): Vernissage Press, 2008 (October). 240 pages. First printing of first ediion. Hardcover with dustjacket in a clear protective jacket cover.  Like new condition. 1 copy only.

Painted wooden matryoshka dolls are a favorite toy in many homes throughout the world, and are a serious hobby populated with enthusiastic collectors. Illustrated throughout with color photographs, this large volume tells the story of matryoshka production from the doll's first appearance in the toy making center of Sergiev Posad in 1899 through its contemporary (2003) interpretations by entrepreneurial artists. Each step in the manufacturing process from the cutting of logs through the final lacquering of the dolls is described in detail. Contributing to the history are commissioned studies from three of Russia's leading authorities on toys and folk art.

330 color plates, 200 of which are carefully selected examples of dolls. The examples include: historical dolls from museums in Russia; factory products made throughout the Soviet period in the villages of Sergiev Posad, Polkhovsky Maidan, Semyonov, Kirov, and Nolinsk; and artwork of independent artists, photographed in several of the artists' home-studios, in private collections, and in the inventory of then importer-author Rett Ertl.