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 Jacobs
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Review
...unique...Recommended for all comprehensive decorative arts and Russian culture collections. -- Library Journal
Throughout, 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 to sell them freely. Creating matryoshki has also provided a living to people who have lost the jobs that they held in the planned economy. The chapter on artists gives a brief look into the lives of some of these independent matryoshka artists.
Ertl draws on his decades of experience to give advice on collecting matryoshki in the final chapter. Dolls shown in this chapter and throughout the book come from Ertls own shelves, several collectors in the United States, Russian museums, and other importers. Readers are invited to collect matryoshki as an accessible way to participate in a Russian folk art tradition that is tightly tied to the past, yet has evolved to reflect the fascinating changes occurring in Russia today.
About the Author
RETT ERTL Rett Ertl is a career-long Russia hand. He began studies of Russian language in high school and continued through Stanford University. Rett holds two masters degrees from Columbia University, one in Russian literature and one in international relations. Professionally, from his first job in trade with the Soviet Union, to IBM marketing representative there, to his consulting projects in privatization, Rett has been focused on Russia and the former Soviet republics. His company, Tolstoys Inc. of Boulder, Colorado, has specialized in importing the traditional handcrafts of Russia, including matryoshki, since 1991. Rett lives in Boulder with his wife Tania. They have a son and a daughter, both now grown.
RICK HIBBERD
Rick worked in Moscow for three years as a consultant in advertising and marketing. His clients included corporations, arts organizations, and American development agencies in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Russia. Previously, Rick founded an advertising and design agency in New York City, which he managed for twenty years. He has produced publications for clients throughout his career, but this is the first with his name on the cover. Rick lives in New York with his wife Gail.
