PETS ON NESTING DOLLS

The tradition of painting pets, birds and poultry on nesting dolls is, actually, as old as the nesting doll itself. The first Russian nesting doll turned by Vassily Zviozdochkin and painted by Sergey Maliutin contained 8 pieces: a girl with a black rooster was followed by a boy and then by a girl again and so on. All figurines were different from each other, the last one was a figurine of a baby wrapped in diaper. Ever since then roosters and other poultry have been often pictured on matryoshka dolls. It is important to emphasize that poultry has always been treated a "pets" by both village and town children. Chicks and ducklings are often pictured in the hands of children being in the same nesting doll set with children holding kittens and puppies. The matryoshka doll before you is an excellent example of a "pets nesting doll". It will make a wonderful gift to any kid, especially a growing one as it may be used as both a toy and a teaching tool.