The Art of the Russian Matryoshka

By Rett Ertl and Rick Hibberd

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972502718
• ISBN13: 9780972502719
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Vernissage Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 3.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.8" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Book!

As an avid collector of matryoshka dolls, I found this book covered it all! I especially enjoyed the pictures and explanation of the lathing and prepping of the blanks. And the techniques used to paint the dolls. This book is a must-have for every collector!

The Heart of Mother Russia

This magnificently designed volume captures the heart of Mother Russia -- and captured my heart as well. Beautifully photographed and written in a lively, readable style. The dolls speak wisely about the history of this great, sad land, and I learned a lot about Russia. It's the perfect gift for anyone interested in Russia or, more broadly, in dolls and how they reflect their times.

Comprehensive with heart and soul

It is correct to call this book a definitive history of Matryoshki, but that is not all it is. I would classify it as a genealogy, whereby Rett Ertl cleverly gives the historical skeleton, but clothes his history with the soul of the people and the artists. The illustrations ae superb, the setting out a joy, and the paper and presentation an experience in itself. The chapter on a number of the current artists allows the reader to learn more of this genealogy, and understand more fully the Art of the Russian Matryoshka.

Russian Nesting Dolls Beautifully Explained

This beautiful book is the most complete explaination of the art of Russian Nesting Dolls (Matryoshka) ever written. The history of the nesting doll is explained in detail with many beautiful photographs of dolls made long ago. The process of creating these wonderful dolls is thoroughly outlined and once again the photos show every aspect of their creation. The different geographical regions of the former Soviet Union and the different dolls produced there were also discussed. Individual artists were highlighted with their dolls as were many dolls from private collections. The different types of nesting dolls were described and pictured. The photographs were detailed and colorful and expertly showed the splendid artwork painted on each doll. This book is long overdue for all Matryoshka collectors. All others would also learn from and enjoy this wonderful book.

Amazing artwork

This is a fabulous book, with a wealth of information on every aspect of the matryoshka. It shows just what a great artwork this really is - it's amazing that you can buy these dolls so cheaply. I also really enjoyed the history and background information.