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About The Art Of The Russian Matryoshka
From Booklist Anyone who's ever enjoyed seeing or playing with a series of wooden nesting dolls--matryoshki in Russian--will gravitate instinctively to Ertl and Hibberd's lavishly illustrated tome. In it, several myths are quickly debunked: first, that these dolls were born in the Motherland (they emigrated from Japan); and second, that all are made from a single piece of wood (actually, one linden tree trunk yields about four or five blanks). The authors continue to reveal the world of matryoshki, including designs, manufacturing, themes, production centers, artists, and purchase of this native toy. The color photographs alone are worth the price, aiding a true appreciation of the art, whether readers admire the elegantly decorated Cinderella dolls or a wonderfully comic Bill Clinton and "family." Includes a useful glossary of English and Russian terms. Barbara JacobsCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Product Description The book is the complete account of the history, production, varieties, and creators of the nesting doll that has become a symbol of Russian folk culture, if not Russia itself. Contributing to the history are commissioned studies from three of Russia's leading authorities on toys and folk art. The book includes 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 importer-author Rett Ertl. Review ...unique...Recommended for all comprehensive decorative arts and Russian culture collections. -- Library JournalThroughout, the volume is marvelously illustrated...This book is clearly a labor of love...it comes off masterfully... -- Russian Life, Sept-Oct 2003 –Paul Richardson From the Inside Flap The Art of the Russian Matryoshka is the definitive account of the wooden nesting dolls, covering their history, how and where they are made, the many variations and different styles of dolls, and their creators. Author Rett Ertl uses his thirty years of experience in Russia to present this information in a straightforward and engaging style, while tying the story of nesting dolls into the story of Russias development. He concludes that matryoshki are not just dolls within dolls, but themes within themes and symbols within symbols. The first Russian doll was created in 1899. It was turned on a lathe by a master toy maker in Sergiev Posad, home of a well known monastery and several wooden toy workshops. The doll was soon widely produced, becoming the symbol of Russia that it is today. The tools and techniques for making matryoshki are essentially unchanged since the time of the first dolls. The book presents each step in the manufacturing process, from the cutting and drying of linden and birch logs, to preparing the wood and turning it on a lathe, to the priming, painting, and lacquering of the dolls. The photos reveal a Russia that most would think had disappeared long ago. In classifying and describing the immense variety of kinds, shapes, sizes and styles of dolls, Ertl brings to bear more than ten years as an importer of Russian crafts. He has applied the product and marketing sense of a businessman to survey the full range of these dolls, from toys to souvenirs to works of fine art. The chapter on cities and factories describes the "Matryoshka Trail," beginning in Sergiev Posad, which is still a major production center, moving to Polkhovsky Maidan, where matryoshka making is literally a backyard business, and including the large factories in Semyonov, Kirov, and Nolinsk. Matryoshka making has blossomed since the fall of the Soviet Union. Artists are now able to create whatever kinds of dolls they wish and t
