Crows (Вороны). Inspired by Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, this set is an original artist design, and not, by any stretch of the imagination, a standard tourist doll sold in the marketplaces in Russia, nor was it made in China (don't get us started, please). Each piece is fully painted, using all the available space, including the bottoms. Each is finished with several coats of crystal-clear lacquer. Designed and signed by the artist. Circa 2004. 3 nest, 4¼" to 2¼". Just one is available.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is a popular series of children's novels. If you haven't been exposed to them, then tough luck. We were (we read them when they were published, and enjoyed them thoroughly). The V.F.D. Crows are a dark and sinister murder (look it up) that lives in the Village of Fowl Devotees. The Russian artist with whom we dealt, when asked to paint a matryoshka based on Snicket's books, chose to paint only the crows, and chose to highlight their mock-gothic significance. We actually had two of these. A friend of Snicket's (Daniel Handler in real life), purchased one from us and gave it to him as a gift. We can't help wondering where he might be displaying it today. Or if he even still has it.
There are two crows on the first doll. The second has one big crow slithering 360 degrees around the doll. And the third has a crow in flight over a barren snowy landscape.