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Click to read The Story of the Rooster Girl Nesting Doll

The Story of the Rooster Girl

The Rooster Girl

She came from the Russian countryside bearing a black rooster and dressed in traditional kerchief, embroidered blouse, and work apron. Unmistakably a symbol of Russian peasantry, she is delightfully unassuming and youthfully optimistic.

Over a century ago...

Industrial revolution. Russia. A romantic notion is born: Could peace and harmony be found by way of the simple life? Artists turned to Russia's peasantry for inspiration and the answer. In the folk culture, in the simple but colorful dress of the village girl, they hoped to find the common thread that would unite contemporary Russia with her past. And in their attempt to elevate the folk spirit, they invented a new form of art...

Her varicolored siblings step out from within her, each revealing a basket, a sickle, a bowl of porridge, a broom, a younger brother in tow. Nestled in the center we find a baby swaddled in a patchwork quilt: hope for the future in the promise of generations to come.

The first nesting doll

was born the 1890's in the Children's Education Workshop-Salon in Abramtsevo, near Moscow. Founded by a patron of the arts, the workshop brought together a handful of professional artists and highly skilled craftsmen devoted to the production and preservation of peasant folk toys and dolls dressed in regional costumes. In this atmosphere of creativity, one artist-toy maker team hit upon a novel idea: What better way to represent a peasant family than with a wooden doll that opens up, revealing a series of nested figures inside? The first doll was a girl. They named her Matryoshka.

A historic, limited reproduction...

Now, again in celebration of Russian folk culture, the Golden Cockerel Studio in St. Petersburg, Russia has launched a special LIMITED EDITION reproduction of the original doll. ONLY 2500 will be reproduced - each in painstaking detail! Retracing all of the original steps of production, from carving the doll in the original lithe form, to woodburning outlines and highlights, to applying the same pastoral, earthy palette, then finishing the doll with a light layer of lacquer - contemporary artists and craftsmen have collaborated to accomplish a museum-quality doll nearly indistinguishable from the original! Her simply stated, antique beauty is timeless -the perfect cornerstone of any collection.

One doll gives birth to another, and another...

This legendary Rooster Girl resides in the Toy Museum of Sergiev Possad, near the place of her creation. For over a century she has inspired artists throughout Russia to create dolls of utter fascination. An uncountable number of her descendants, nesting dolls of all sizes, shapes, and designs, have found homes with collectors around the world. The selection is mind-boggling and delightful. The timeless matron of this family of dolls, the Rooster Girl remains unsurpassed in her antique beauty: the original Matryoshka.

A portion of the sales of this item to the Museum of Toys in Sergiev Possad-- thanks for support!

Mistletoe 'n Holly is a Starlite Christopher Radko store, offering one of the largest selections of Christopher Radko ornaments, Home for the Holidays and Shiny Brite online!
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Thank you for shopping at Mistletoe 'n Holly Christmas Shop! Featuring the finest in Christmas collectibles including Christopher Radko Ornaments, Polonaise, Fontanini, Mark Roberts Fairies, Steinbach Nutcrackers, Steinbach Ornaments, and other fine holiday collectibles. Christmas elegance for your home!