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    • Matryoshka NEW ARRIVALS

    • Viatka "Purple" 7-nest (Vintage). Of the over 800 hundred 7-nested USSR sets that passed through our shop, this set is the only one that has three purple dresses on the first three pieces. In about fine condition, no cracks or major signs of wear. 5" down to 1". USSR purple stamp on the bottom. 1 only.

      Viatka "Purple" Matryoshka [Vintage]

      Viatka "Purple" 7-nest (Vintage). Of the over 800 hundred 7-nested USSR sets that passed through our shop, this set is the only one that has three purple dresses on the first three pieces. In about...
      $45.00
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    • SALE
      Golden Ring (Золотое кольцо) Artistic Matryoshka. An elegant early nesting doll titled on the front "Golden Ring", which is a ring of towns and cities of great antiquity that lie northeast of Moscow. The artist of this matryoshka features the famous Troitsky-Sergiev Lavra, founded in the 14th century by St. Sergius of Radonezh in Sergiev Posad, Moscow. The doll is an early one (1994) and the details and enhancements are well done, including the faces, the hair, the painting, gilding and woodburning. It has the distinction of being made in Sergiev-Posad, and signed by the artist. Of note is the classic recursive matryoshka style, where each piece opens successively to a smaller version of the preceding one.

      Golden Ring Vintage Artistic Matryoshka [1994]

      Golden Ring (Золотое кольцо) Artistic Matryoshka. An elegant early nesting doll titled on the front "Golden Ring", which is a ring of towns and cities of great antiquity that lie northeast of Moscow...
      Was: $175.00
      Now: $125.00
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    • Zaporozhian Cossacks (Запорожские казаки). A unique mixed media matryoshka with high relief texture enhancements. The first doll has a raised pipe, forelocks, earring and braid as well as a ladybug on the back. Other dolls all have some texture, including traditional head wear, a distinctive mustache on the second doll, plus silver crosses on all four. The Zaporozhian Cossacks lived downstream from the Dnieper Rapids. They were predominantly Ruthenians, and played an important role in the history of Ukraine. The Cossacks left a profound cultural, political and military legacy on Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Turkey and other states that came in contact with it.

      Zaporozhian Cossacks [vintage]

      Zaporozhian Cossacks (Запорожские казаки). A unique mixed media matryoshka with high relief texture enhancements. The first doll has a raised pipe, forelocks, earring and braid as well as a ladybug...
      $89.00
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    • Family (Семья). Family, household, kin, ancestors, tribes and generations are important cultural milestones and landmarks. Relatives are close to one another (usually) and help each other in times of need (usually). The interdependence of family, including extended family, is of utmost importance. Aunts, uncles, and especially grandparents, play an outsized role in raising children, helping parents, and in many cultures, often live together. Which is why nesting dolls with families are a common theme. This colorful matryoshka from 1993 even has the word "семья" ("family" in Russian) written at the base of the head doll. And what a family it is! Grandfather carries a teapot and bagels, babushka a samovar and bowl, an Orthodox priest with Easter eggs, a blacksmith and a daughter carrying two green sacks. The artist's choice of characters is eclectic. 7" down to 1¾". Signed by the artist.

      Family Matryoshka [vintage]

      Family (Семья). Family, household, kin, ancestors, tribes and generations are important cultural milestones and landmarks. Relatives are close to one another (usually) and help each other in times of...
      $89.00
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    • Red Army Boy (Красная армия). A gang of young boys dress up to play Red Army soldiers, KGB officers, and Young Pioneers. First wears a green olive Budenovka infantry coat with cap with a red star, holds a glistening sharp sword and a hobby horse on a stick. The second is a grim-faced agent with his white coat and pistol, and the third is a little scout. An early entry into the collector field of unusual nesting dolls. Probably Moscow. Dated 1992 and signed by the artist.

      Young Red Army Matryoshka [Vintage]

      Red Army Boy (Красная армия). A gang of young boys dress up to play Red Army soldiers, KGB officers, and Young Pioneers. First wears a green olive Budenovka infantry coat with cap with a red star,...
      $24.00
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    • Golden Samovar Matryoshka (Матрешка Золотой самовар).  An early, fully handmade and painted 9-nest matryoshka dated 1990 and signed by the artist V. Lagutina (В. Лагутина). Her signature is in itself unusual, since USSR hadn't collapsed yet (it did at the end of 1991). Many of the vintage Russian matryoshkas from 1987 to 1999 found artists declining to sign their work due to old fears of engaging in "capitalist" endeavors (making a profit) and having a trail linked back to them. This was more pronounced in the bigger cities, where fear of reprisals was hard to shed completely. The number of pieces in the set is also unusual and uncommon. The finished pieces are covered with a soft, smooth lacquer. The floral embellishments are disciplined and the samovar is filled in with "potal" ("поталь"), which is a form of gold foil decoration that imitates gilding. Atop the samovar, and eventually taking over, is a blue and white teapot painted in the Gzhel style. Even the dark handles are painted in. A real attractive set!

      Golden Samovar 9-nest Matryoshka [Vintage]

      Golden Samovar Matryoshka (Матрешка Золотой самовар).  An early, fully handmade and painted 9-nest matryoshka dated 1990 and signed by the artist V. Lagutina (В. Лагутина). Her signature is in itself...
      $95.00
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    • Vintage Matryoshka Matryoshka from Moldova. Made in 1988, when the country was a part of the Soviet Union known as the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (МАССР - Молдавская Автономная Советская Социалистическая Республика). Label reads: Министерство лесного хозяйства МАССР (Ministry of Forestry) and Волжский Комбинат (Volzhsky Plant) plus some product information, such as "Matryoshka 5-nest" and the year (1988) of production. Interesting color scheme. Glossy lacquer. 5 nest, 4½" down to 1¼".

      Moldova Matryoshka [Vintage]

      Vintage Matryoshka Matryoshka from Moldova. Made in 1988, when the country was a part of the Soviet Union known as the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (МАССР - Молдавская Автономная...
      $48.00
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    • Polkhovsky-Maidan 4 nest. In the original factory packaging. Voznesensky region ("Вознесенское объединение "П-Майданская роспись"). Classic Polkhovsky-Maidan matryoshkas are decorated with India ink and aniline dyes. This nesting doll, with its appealing faces, was made at the production association "Polkhovsky-Maidan painting", which brought together the artists of Krutets, Polkhovsky-Maidan and Voznesenk. A paper label in Russian gives the date of manufacture (1988), ID number (НХП-ГО-2279а) and price (6.00) in rubles. Approx. 6" to 2¼". Doll like new, box is very good.

      Polkhovsky-Maidan 4nest 1980s (3)

      Polkhovsky-Maidan 4 nest. In the original factory packaging. Voznesensky region ("Вознесенское объединение "П-Майданская роспись"). Classic Polkhovsky-Maidan matryoshkas are decorated with India ink...
      $45.00
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    • Polkhovsky-Maidan 4 nest. In the original factory packaging. Voznesensky region ("Вознесенское объединение "П-Майданская роспись"). Classic Polkhovsky-Maidan matryoshkas are decorated with India ink and aniline dyes. This nesting doll, with its appealing faces, was made at the production association "Polkhovsky-Maidan painting", which brought together the artists of Krutets, Polkhovsky-Maidan and Voznesenk. A paper label in Russian gives the date of manufacture (1988), ID number (НХП-ГО-2279а) and price (6.00) in rubles. Approx. 6" to 2¼".

      Polkhovsky-Maidan 4nest 1980s (2)

      Polkhovsky-Maidan 4 nest. In the original factory packaging. Voznesensky region ("Вознесенское объединение "П-Майданская роспись"). Classic Polkhovsky-Maidan matryoshkas are decorated with India ink...
      $45.00
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    • Classic Polkhovsky-Maidan matryoshkas are decorated with India ink and aniline dyes. This nesting doll, with its appealing faces, was made at the production association "Polkhovsky-Maidan painting", which brought together the artists of Krutets, Polkhovsky-Maidan and Voznesensk. A paper label in Russian gives the date of manufacture (1988), ID number (НХП-ГО-2279а) and price (6.00) in rubles.

      Polkhovsky-Maidan 4nest 1980s (1)

      Polkhovsky-Maidan 4 nest. In the original factory packaging. Voznesensky region ("Вознесенское объединение "П-Майданская роспись"). Classic Polkhovsky-Maidan matryoshkas are decorated with India ink...
      $45.00
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    • Yoshkar Ola Matryoshka, 8 nest. Yoshkar-Ola (sometimes Yoscar-Ola) is the capital of the Mari El Republic in western Russia. The name literally means Red City in the language of the Mari. These dolls were sometimes referred to as Marijaha dolls. One feature of these sets is the lack of flowers. The dolls are tightly nested and painted in bright, primary colors. This one is 8-nested and was made in the 1980s. 5" down to around ½".

      Yoshkar-Ola Matryoshka, 8pcs [Vintage]

      Yoshkar Ola Matryoshka, 8 nest. Yoshkar-Ola (sometimes Yoscar-Ola) is the capital of the Mari El Republic in western Russia. The name literally means Red City in the language of the Mari. These dolls...
      $40.00
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    • The Tale of the Priest and of his Workman Balda (Сказка о попе и о работнике его Балде) is a fairy tale in verse by Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837). The Priest hires Balda on the cheap to collect a fabricated debt from the sea devils. Balda causes the sea to pitch, which forces the leader of the devils, an "old Бес", to come out on land. He agrees to pay the debt if Balda will defeat his grandson at running and weight carrying. Balda tricks the "little Бес", first by getting a hare, whom he proclaims his "younger brother" to run in his stead, and then by "carrying" a horse between his two legs by riding on it. There is also a sub-plot involving the priest's daughter and her attraction to Balda. The story ends when Balda gives the priest three blows to the forehead resulting in the priest losing his mind. The final line is, "You shouldn't have gone rushing off after cheapness. Pushkin wrote the tale in rhyme in 1830, based on a Russian folk tale which Pushkin had found. In the summer of 1831, Pushkin showed his tale to Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852), who greatly admired it. The Tale saw its  first publication in 1840 posthumously by Vasily Zhukovsky in 1840 with considerable alterations due to censorship; the Priest character was replaced by a merchant.

      Tale of the Priest and His Workman Balda [Pushkin]

      The Tale of the Priest and of his Workman Balda (Сказка о попе и о работнике его Балде) is a fairy tale in verse by Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837). The Priest hires Balda on the cheap to collect a...
      $125.00
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    • Russian Boy (Русский Паренек). Scarce mid-1960s Semenov boy box. Nicely crafted. On the bottom is a detailed paper label in Russian (see below). In near fine condition with very little wear. Probably originally purchased from a Beriozka hard currency tourist shop around 1967 or so, as labels later would be in English, indicating for export. The souvenir industry only gathered up steam as people began to visit Russia, which began in earnest in the early 1970s.

      Russian Boy [1967]

      Russian Boy (Русский Паренек). Scarce mid-1960s Semenov boy box. Nicely crafted. On the bottom is a detailed paper label in Russian (see below). In near fine condition with very little wear. Probably...
      $40.00
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    • Lavra of Sergiev Posad (Лавра в Сергиевом Посаде). The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius (Троице-Сергиева лавра) is the most important and historical Russian monastery and the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodoxy. The monastery is in the town of Sergiev Posad, about 40 miles northeast from Moscow. Its founding in 1337 by St. Sergius of Radonezh is well documented in the contemporary lives of Sergius and his disciples. Famous iconographers and powerful tsars all gained fame and notoriety in this humble lavra. The artist has painted an impressive and positive rendering of the monastery, its gates, cupolas, and immediate surroundings. Bottom of the first doll is painted green to reflect the grassy earth. 7 nest, 6¼" down to 1¼".  Fully lacquered. Signed by the artist and dated 1998.

      Lavra of Sergiev Posad [Vintage]

      Lavra of Sergiev Posad (Лавра в Сергиевом Посаде). The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius (Троице-Сергиева лавра) is the most important and historical Russian monastery and the spiritual center of the...
      $89.00
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    • Mechanical Matryoshka (Механическая Матрешка). This entertaining Matryoshka spins one way and then the other, back and forth. Made in the Soviet Union pre-1991 at LZM (Leningradskiy Zavod Metalloizdeliy). NIB (New in Box). With key. Unusual in new condition. 7". Made in USSR

      Mechanical Matryoshka NIB

      Mechanical Matryoshka (Механическая Матрешка). This entertaining Matryoshka spins one way and then the other, back and forth. Made in the Soviet Union pre-1991 at LZM (Leningradskiy Zavod...
      $48.00
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    • Matryoshka Seasoning Trio. An adorable set of maidens from Sergiev Posad, probably 1990 or a bit earlier. Each matryoshka opens to house either salt, papper, or cayenne (?). Titles in English indicating was made for an export market. Tray seems to have been added later. All wood, and all hand decoration. Both decorative and functional. Dolls just under 3¼" in height, tray just under 4¼" in diameter.

      Matryoshka Seasoning Set [Vintage]

      Matryoshka Seasoning Trio. An adorable set of intricately decorated maidens from Sergiev Posad, probably 1990 or a bit earlier. Each matryoshka opens to contain either salt, papper, or cayenne (?)...
      $29.00
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    • Zagorsk (Загорск) Maidens were made in the 1970s through the late 1980s in "Zagorsk Toy Factory No. 1". This attractive 9 nest is in well-reserved, about fine condition and isn't suffering from the all-too-common flaking and chipping that plagues this style of doll. The state of preservation on this set is remarkable. Colors are bright, the lacquer is clear and all pieces fit together well. Handmade and painted. 7" down to ¾" down.

      Zagorsk Vintage Matryoshka (9pcs)

      Zagorsk (Загорск) Maidens were made in the 1970s through the late 1980s in "Zagorsk Toy Factory No. 1". This attractive 9 nest is in well-preserved, about fine, condition and isn't suffering from the...
      $65.00
      THIS ITEM IS SOLD
    • Polkhovsky Maidan "Coquette" Matryoshka (Полховский Майдан «Кокетка» Матрешка).

      Polkhovsky Maidan "Coquette" Matryoshka [Vintage]

      Polkhovsky Maidan "Coquette" Matryoshka (Полховский Майдан «Кокетка» Матрешка). In our experience, among almost all of the classic Polkhovsky Maidan dolls we've encountered, a matryoshka with a...
      $18.00
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