Matryoshka Nesting Doll

The Matryoshka doll, also known as a Russian nesting doll, is a classic piece of folk art that has become a global symbol of Russian culture. These handcrafted wooden dolls traditionally feature a female figure in a sarafán dress and headscarf, consisting of a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another.

Historically, the first Russian nesting doll set was created in 1890 by Vasily Zvyozdochkin and designed by Sergey Malyutin. While they are often produced by independent artisans and local woodworking factories across Russia (most notably in regions like Semyonov and Sergiyev Posad), they are not owned by a single global corporation. Instead, they represent a cultural heritage product typically sold under various local artisan labels or cooperative brands rather than a single multinational manufacturer.