Product Description

Grandfather Frost from Brest. Grandfather Frost is joined with the Snowmaiden and an Elf. Christmas nesting dolls before 1991 were uncommon (one guess as to why) and this compact one from Brest was, at the time, one of the only sets available. 3¼" x 2". 1 only, as shown.

Refer to Collector's Guide to Nesting Dolls by Michele Lefkovitz. She has a section on dolls from the Brest region with many pictures.

Brest (formerly Brest-Litovsk) is a city in Belarus at the border of Poland. Dolls from Brest were labeled "Made in the USSR" during the time Belarus was part of the USSR. For a long time, the Brest Matryoshka factory was quite the prolific production center for unusual matryoshkas. Their dolls use birch wood, instead of the more traditional, and softer, linden wood, and are painted in bright colors. Dolls can either be glossy lacquer or matte lacquer. Several significant importers, including Shelmar Imports of NJ, had a direct relationship with the factory and even helped to design some of the specialty dolls for the American market.