Nesting Dolls (Matryoshka) - Exclusive Nesting Dolls - Folk Art
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'A Visit from Father Frost' $299.95 Exclusive quality 'Kids at Winter' nesting / stacking doll by Natalia Remizova, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. This is a truly unique matryoshka doll that make a wonderful addition to any nesting dolls collection. Size: approx. 6.44 inches (16.5 cm). Consists of: 5 pieces. Finish: glossy (lacquer). Availability: ships within 10-14 business days. Origin: Russian Federation. As all of our nesting dolls, this set is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the tallest one is signed by artist. Comes with FREE Worldwide Express Shipping!

'Admirer' $105.21 Size: a approx. 8' Metric: a 20 cm Consists of: a 7 pieces Finish: a glossy (lacquer) Availability: a ships within 5-10 business days Origin: a Russian Federation a As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 3-5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the tallest one is signed by artist. RUSSIAN WEDDING In pre-Revolution Russia weddings were usually held in autumn (in October) and in winter before Lent, up to Shrovetide. The whole ritual of the Russian Wedding can be divided into three parts: the period before the wedding, the wedding, and the period after the wedding. The main rites of the traditional Russian wedding: the bridegroom sent a match-maker to the bride's parents the parents of the bridegroom visit the parents of the bride and have a talk the bride-show, where the bride shows what she has made before getting engaged 'sgovor' (the reaching of an agreement about future wedding) the pre-wedding period usually ended in a devichnik (a girl-friend's party) or the bridegroom's party. The participants of the party were: Druzhka (a man who knew the ritual of the wedding ceremony well); tysyatsky (an honored member of the bridegroom's family or Godfather), the boyars (noblemen) - other relatives) the bridegroom will not get the bride unless he pays ransom for her the newly-weds have to kiss in public when their guests propose a toast and cry 'Gorko!' ('Bitter!'). This means that they would like the newly-weds to kiss, and they pretend they can't drink the wine without sweetening it with the kiss. Other interesting facts about the Russian wedding: According to the Russian tradition, the bride must cry (before and at the wedding ceremony) even if she loves her bridegroom. Russian wedding laments are very poetic. After the wedding, the bride could no longer wear her hair uncovered. The Russians have a lot of ritual wedding songs. The bride and bridegroom ride to church in separate carriages. After the marriage ceremony in church, the newly-weds go home in one carriage. The parents of the newly-weds meet them at home with bread and salt and an icon, and they bless the newly-weds. Nowadays Russian weddings follow new sets of wedding rituals. There are a lot of 'Wedding Palaces' (Dvortsy brakosochetaniya) in the country. The newly-weds are congratulated by the city administration, then they visit the places of interest of their city, pay their tribute to those who perished in war, visiting the Eternal Fire. Some of the newly-weds have a marriage ceremony in church, which, however, is not obligatory (but rather optional) for official marriage registration. Not many of the above-quoted traditional Russian wedding rites are followed nowadays.

'Barnyard Animals' 5 pc Nesting Doll $159.95 Size: approx. 6.5' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 7-11 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Barnyard Animals' nesting doll before you is an exclusive quality matryoshka doll painted by Ekaterina Kasapu, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 to 8 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. Imported from Russia.

'Barnyard Animals' 7 pc Nesting Doll $174.95 Size: approx. 7.2' Metric: 18 cm Consists of: 7 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 7-11 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Barnyard Animals' nesting doll before you is an exclusive quality matryoshka doll painted by Ekaterina Kasapu, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 to 8 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. Imported from Russia.

'Barnyard Animals' Big 3 pc Nesting Doll $74.95 Size: approx. 5.6' Metric: 14 cm Consists of: 3 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 5-8 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Barnyard Animals' nesting doll before you is an exclusive quality matryoshka doll painted by Ekaterina Kasapu, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 3 to 5 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. Imported from Russia.

'Barnyard Animals' Medium 3 pc Nesting Doll $54.95 Size: approx. 4.8' Metric: 12 cm Consists of: 3 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 5-8 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Barnyard Animals' nesting doll before you is an exclusive quality medium size 3 piece matryoshka doll painted by Ekaterina Kasapu, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 3 to 5 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. Imported from Russia.

'Barnyard Animals' Tiny 3 pc Nesting Doll $42.95 Size: approx. 4' Metric: 10 cm Consists of: 3 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 5-8 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Barnyard Animals' nesting doll before you is an exclusive quality tiny 3 piece matryoshka doll painted by Ekaterina Kasapu, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 3 to 5 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. Imported from Russia.

'Best of Friends' $178.95 Exclusive quality 'Best of Friends' nesting / stacking doll by Natalia Remizova, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. This is a truly unique matryoshka doll that make a wonderful addition to any nesting dolls collection. Size: approx. 6.44 inches (16.5 cm). Consists of: 5 pieces. Finish: glossy (lacquer). Availability: ships within 10-14 business days. Origin: Russian Federation. As all of our nesting dolls, this set is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the tallest one is signed by artist.

'Evgeny Onegin', A.S. Pushkin $184.95 Size: a approx. 6.5' Metric: a 16.25 cm Consists of: a 5 pieces Finish: a glossy (lacquer) Availability: a ships within 7-12 business days Origin: a Russian Federation a As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 5-7 layers of crystal clear lacquer. The tallest doll is signed by the artist. Each doll displays a scene from the world-famous Pushkin's play 'Evgeny Onegin'. 'EVGENY ONEGIN' by Alexander Pushkin [summary] ACT I, Scene 1: With her devoted servant Filippyevna, the widowed Madame Larina sits in the garden of her country estate. Her daughters, Olga and Tatiana, sing a love song that reminds the older women of days gone by. Peasants coming from the fields bring freshly cut hay for their mistress and celebrate the completion of the harvest with songs and dances. Olga taunts Tatiana for failing to enjoy the festivities. Pale and shy, Tatiana remains pensive and apart, wrapped in the fantasy of her beloved novels. As the peasants leave, the poet Lenski, Olga's suitor, and his worldy friend Eugene Onegin arrive. When Madame Larina and Filippyevna enter the house, the four young people mingle, awkwardly at first. Then Lenski pours forth his love to Olga. Onegin, strolling with Tatiana, asks if she does not tire of her bucolic existence. Visibly upset by the handsome stranger, the girl answers with difficulty. As night falls, the two couples go in for dinner. ACT I, Scene 2: In her bedroom, Tatiana persuades Filippyevna to speak of her first love and marriage. Filippyevna notices that the girl's mind is wandering and asks if she is ill. Tatiana declares she is in love and begs to be left alone. Resolved to reveal her passion to Onegin, Tatiana sits up the entire night and writes to him, full of fear and shame. She closes by pleading for his mercy and understanding. When day breaks, she gives the letter to Filippyevna for her grandson to deliver. ACT I, Scene 3: As they work to pass the time, a group of women gathered in Madame Larina's garden sing about flirting with boys. When they leave, Tatiana hurries in, soon followed by Onegin, who asks that she hear him out. He admits he was touched by her letter but adds he would tire quickly of marriage. Though she has all the virtues he might wish in a wife, the most he can offer is a brother's love. He advises more emotional control, lest another man fail to respect her innocence. Crushed, Tatiana rushes away. ACT II, Scene 1: Some months later in Madame Larina's house, a party is under way in honor of Tatiana's name day. As young couples glide merrily across the floor, the older guests sit watching and gossiping. Onegin dances with Tatiana but clearly is bored with these country people and their provincial sensibilities. To get back at Lenski for dragging him there, he dances with Olga, who is attracted momentarily and responds to his advances. Onegin's game is interrupted by Triquet, an elderly French tutor, who serenades Tatiana with a song he has written in her honor. When dancing resumes, Lenski jealously confronts Onegin. The merrymaking stops. Madame Larina implores them not to quarrel in her house; Lenski is remorseful but cannot contain his rage at Onegin, who accepts his challenge to a duel. ACT II, Scene 2: At dawn on the banks of a stream near an old mill, Lenski and his second, Zaretski, await Onegin. Reflecting on the folly of his brief life, and saddened by its now unalterable course, the young poet imagines his beloved Olga visiting his grave. Onegin arrives with his second. The two men, standing apart and without looking at one another, sing a cannon in which each admits privately that they have acted rashly -- that they would rather laugh together than fight -- but pride and impulsiveness prevail. The duel is fought and Lenski is fatally shot. ACT III, Scene 1: Several years later, in a hall of a palace in St. Petersburg, a magnificent ball is in progress. Onegin has traveled widely, seeking to alleviate his boredom and give his life meaning. With bitterness he says his search has led him tonight to a monotonous social event. Suddenly he recognizes Tatiana across the room, but she is no longer the girl he knew: sumptuously gowned, she walks with poise and dignity. Questioning his cousin, Prince Gremin, he learns that Tatiana is now Gremin's wife. The older man tells of his marriage two years earlier and describes Tatiana as his life's salvation. When Gremin introduces Onegin, Tatiana maintains her composure, excusing herself after a few words of polite conversation. Captivated, Onegin dashes from the palace. ACT III, Scene 2: In the Gremins' town house, Tatiana recieves Onegin in answer to an impassioned letter he has written. When he falls at her feet, she remains controlled. Now that she has a rich and noble husband, she asks, does he desire her position or her shame? She recalls the days when they might have been happy; now he can bring her only grief. As Onegin's pleas grow more ardent Tatiana prays for courage. Suddenly finding strength, she rushes out, leaving the distraught Onegin behind.

'Fairy Tale about Golden Cockerel' $119.95 Size: a approx. 8' Metric: a 20 cm Consists of: a 7 pieces Finish: a glossy (lacquer) Availability: a ships within 10-15 business days Origin: a Russian Federation a As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 5-7 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the largest one is signed by artist. Each doll displays a miniature painting based on the 'Golden Cockerel' fairy tale by Alexander S. Pushkin. 'GOLDEN COCKEREL' by A.S. Pushkin This story is one of the many tales written by Russia's most beloved poet, Alexander Pushkin. But this tale is unique in another way, as its origins are actually American. Pushkin based this tale on Washington Irving's poem, 'The Legend of the Arabian Astrologer.' Pushkin's tale is set in the land of Tsar Dadon, who is looking for a new method to protect his rich kingdom. He offers the reward of the person's choice in return for finding a perfect security system. He is disappointed when he tries several different techniques, but at last there appears an astrologer, who seems to have the answer. The astrologer gives him a Golden Cockerel, which will crow any time that the Kingdom is endangered. The astrologer then chooses not to claim his reward immediately, but to wait until he can decide what he would like. The magic Cockerel proves to be the perfect protection for Tsar Dadon's kingdom. The Cockerel ends up crowing three times. The first time he crows, an enemy army is advancing towards Tsar Dadon's land. The Tsar sends his elder son and his mighty army to fight the enemy. The tsardom is saved, but the Tsar's son and army never return. The Cockerel crows the second time as another army is advancing to capture Dadon's land. This time he sends his younger son and an army into battle. But once again, though the kingdom is spared, neither the son nor the army ever returns. The Cockerel then crows the third time, sounding the alarm that yet a third army is planning to invade. This time, Dadon himself leads an army to the farthest borders of the kingdom. Arriving there, he is horrified at what he discovers. All along the border of his land are strewn out the dead bodies of his soldiers that he had sent into battle. He also finds the slaughtered bodies of his two sons. Tsar Dadon is then overcome with sickness and grief. He walks into a tent to sit down, and there his sadness is lifted when he sees a most beautiful sight! Before him stands the seductive Queen of Shemakha. Dadon immediately falls in love with her, and plans to marry her once they return to his castle. But on the way home they encounter the Astrologer who has decided that he would like to claim the enchanting Queen for himself, as his reward. Tsar Dadon is engulfed with anger and envy. He not only denies the Astrologer his reward, but also kills him. The Golden Cockerel then flies down from his perch and pecks Dadon to death for not keeping his end of the bargain. THE TALE OF THE GOLDEN COCKEREL In a realm that shall be nameless, In a country bright and blameless, Lived the might Czar Dadon, Second in renown to none. Fierce and bold, he would neighbor. But he fancied, as he aged, That enough wars had been waged - Having earned a rest, he took it. But his neighbors would not brook it, And they harassed the old Czar, And they ruthlessly attacked him, And they harried and they hacked him. Threfore, lest his realm be lost, He maintained a mighty host. Though his captains were not napping, They not seldom took a rapping: In the south they're fortified - From the east their foemen ride; Mend the breach, as is commanded - On the shore an army's landed That has come from oversea. Czar Dadon, so vexed was he, Was upon the point of weeping, Didn't find it easy sleeping. Never was life bitterer! So to the asrologer, To the wise old eunuch, pleading To the eunuch he bows low, And the mage consents to go At Dadon's behest, appearing At the court: a sign most cheering. In his bag, as it befell, He'd a golden cockerel. 'Set this bird,' the mage directed, 'On a pole that's soon erected; And my golden cockerel will protect thee very well. When there is no sign of riot, He will sit serene and queit But if ever there should be Threat of a calamity, Should there come from any quarter Raiders ripe for loot and slaughter, Then my golden cockerel Will arouse: his comb will swell, He will crow, and up and doing, Turn to where the danger's brewing.' In return the mage is told He shall have a heap gold, And good Czar Dadon instanter Promises the kind enchanter: Twill be granted as my own.' In his perch, by the Czar's orders, Sits the cock and guards the borders - And when danger starts to peep He arises, as from sleep, Crows and ruffles up his feathers, Turns to where the trouble gathers, Sounds his warning clear and true, Crying: 'Cock-doodle-doo! Slug-a-bed, lie still slumber, Reign with never care or cumber!' And the neighbors dared not seek Any quarrel, but grew meek: Czar Dadon there was no trapping, For they could not catch him napping Peacefully two years go by, And the cock sits quietly. But on day, by noises shaken, Czar Dadon is forced to waken. Cries a captain: 'Czar a Sire, Rise, thy children's need is dire! Trouble comes, thy realm to shatter.' 'Gentlemen, what is the matter?' Yawns Dadon. 'What do you say? Who is there? What trouble, pray?' Says the captain: 'Fear is growing, For the cockerel is crowing: The whole city's terrified.' The Czar looked out and spied The gold cockerel a-working - Toward the east he kept on jerking. 'Quickly now! Make no delay! Take to horse, men, and away!' Toward the east the army's speeding That the Czar's first-born is leading. Now the cockerel is still, And the Czar may sleep his fill. Eight full days go by like magic, But no news comes, glad or tragic: Not a word Dadon has got. Hark! Again the cock is crowing - A new army must be going Forth to battle; Czar Dadon This time sends his younger son To the rescue of his brother. And this time, just as the other, The young cock grows still content. But again no news is sent. And in fear the folk are sitting; And once more the cockerel crows, And a third host eastward goes. Czar Dadon himself is leading, Not quite certain of succeeding. They march on, by day, by night, And they soon are weary, quite. Czar Dadon, in some vexation, Vainly seeks an indication Or a fight: battle-ground, Or a camp, or funeral-mound. Strange! But as the eigth day's ending, We find Czar Dadon ascending Hilly pathways, with his men - What does his gaze light on then? Twixt two mountain-peaks commanding Lo! A silken tent is standing. Wondrous silence rules the scene, And behold, in a ravile Lies the slaughtered army! Chastened By the sight, the old Czar hastened To the tent... Alas, Dadon! Younger son and elder son Lie unhelmed, and either brother Has his sword stuck in the other. In the field, alackaday, Masterless, their coursers stray, On the trampled grass and muddy, On the silken grass now bloody... Czar Dadon howled fearfully: 'Children, children! Woe is me! Both our falcons have been taken In the nets! I am farsaken!' All his army howled and moaned Till the very valleys groaned - From the shaken mountains darted Echoes. Then the tent-flaps parted... Suddenly upon the scene stood the young Shamakhan queen! Bright as dawn, with gentle greeting She acknowledged this first meeting With the Czar, and old Dadon, Like a night-bird in the sun, Stood stock still and kept on blinking At the maid, no longer thinking Of his sons, the dead and gone. And she smiled at Czar Dadon- Bowing, took his hand and led him Straight into her tent, and fed him Royally, and then her guest Tenderly she laid to rest On a couch with gold brocaded, By her silken curtains shaded. Seven days and seven nights Czar Dadon knew these delights, And, of every scruple ridden, Did, bewitched, what he was bidden. Long enough he had delayed - To his army, to the maid, Czar Dadon was now declaring That they must be homeward faring. Faster than Dadon there flies Rumor, spreading truth and lies. And the populace have straightway Come to meet them at he gateway. Now behind the coach they run, Hail the queen and hail Dadon, And most affable they find him... Lo! There in the crowd behind him Who should follow Czar Dadon, Hair and beard white as a swan, And a Moorish hat to top him, But the mage? There's none to stop him; Up he come: 'My greetings, Sire.' Says the Czar: 'What's thy desire? Pray, come closer. What's thy mission?' 'Czar,' responded the magician, 'We have our accounts to square; Thou hast sworn, thou art aware, For the help that I accorded, Anything thy realm afforded Thou wouldst grant me: my desire, As thy own, fulfilling, Sire. Tis this maiden I am craving: The Shamakhan queen.' 'Thou'rt raving!' Shrieked Dadon forthwith, amazed, While his eyes with anger blazed. 'Gracious! Hast thou lost thy senses? Who'd have dreamed such consequences From the words that once I said!' Cried the Czar. 'What's in thy head? Yes, I promised, but what of it? There are limits, and I'll prove it. What is any maid to thee? How dare thou thus speak to Me? Other favors I am able To bestow: take from my stable My best horse, or, better far, Henceforth rank as a boyar; Gold I'll give thee willingly - Half my czardom is for thee.' 'Naught is offered worth desiring,' Said the mage. 'I am requiring But one gift of thee. I mean, Namely, the Shamakhan queen.' Then the Czar, with anger spitting, Crie: 'The devil! Tis not fitting That I listen to such stuff. Thou'lt have nothing. That's enough! To thy cost thou hast been sinning - Reckoned wrong from the beginning. Now be off while thou'rt yet whole! Take him out, God bless my soul!' The enchanter, ere they caught him, Would have argued, but bethought him That with certain mighty folk Quarreling is not a joke, And there was no word in answer From the white-haired necromancer. With his sceptre the Czar straight Rapped the eunuch on his pate; He fell forward: life departed. Forthwith the whole city started Quaking - but the maiden, ah! Hee-hee-hee! And Ha-ha-ha! Feared no sin and was not queasy. Czar Dadon, though quite uneasy, Gave the queen a tender smile And rode forward in fine style. Suddenly there is tinkling Little noise, and in a twinkling, While all stood and stared anew, From his perch the cockerel flew To the royal coach, and lighted On the pate of the affrighted Czar Dadon, and there, elate, Flapped his wings, and pecked the pate, And soared off... and as it flitted, Czar Dadon his carriage quitted: Down he fell, and groaned at most Once, and then gave up the ghost. And the queen no more was seen there; Twas as though she'd never been there Fairy-tales, though far from true, Teach good lads a thing or two.

'Fairy Tale about Tsar Saltan' $146.56 Size: approx. 6.5'' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 5-10 business days Origin: Russian Federation As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 3-5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the largest one is signed by artist. Each doll in this set displays miniature-scenes based on the famous ''Tsar Saltan'' fairy tale. ''TSAR SALTAN'' (Russian Fairy-Tale) Once upon a time in a far away land Tsar Saltan sat listening to the future plans of three sisters. One of these sisters said that she wanted to give birth to a great warrior, and employ the other two sisters in her charge. Tsar Saltan decided to marry this sister, making the other two sisters become very jealous. These two women decided to do everything they could to make the married sister's life unhappy Tsar Saltan soon went away to war. During his absence his queen gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Gvidon. It looked as if her dream of the future were beginning to be fulfilled, but her evil sisters wrote to the Tsar and convinced him that his son was an evil monster. Believing their ridiculous story, the Tsar then ordered that his wife and son be sealed in a barrel and cast into the sea. The barrel drifted for many years, finally washing ashore after Prince Gvidon had already grown into a man. On this shore Prince Gvidon performed his first great task; he rescued a swan being attacked by an evil magician. Having been saved, the swan then turned into an enchanting princess who promised to help Gvidon find his father. The Prince then became ruler of the land that he had washed ashore upon, and his kingdom became famous throughout the world. One day a merchant ship en route to Tsar Saltan's country passed through Prince Gvidon's magnificent land. On arrival to Tsar Saltan's country the merchant told the Tsar about his son's great land. Tsar Saltan made plans to travel there, but the evil sisters talked him out of it. The next time the merchant passed through the kingdom of Prince Gvidon he saw the Magic Squirrel which lived in a crystal cage that Prince Gvidon had built for it. Again the merchant arrived home to tell Tsar Saltan of his son's magical land, but again the evil sisters interfered. They told the Tsar that he should instead go to the land where one can see 33 warriors and Chernomor rise from the ocean. The Princess Swan explained to Prince Gvidon that these warriors were her brothers, so when the merchant passed through the land a third time this feat was performed for him. Having heard this story the wicked sisters dissuaded the Tsar once more from traveling to his son by telling him that it would be more worth his while to find the Magic Princess with the Sea Star above her head. Prince Gvidon was sad when he discovered once more that his father would not come to see him. Little did he know that the Swan Princess and the Magic Princess were one in the same! The merchant then returned home a fourth time to inform the Tsar that his son had married the Magic Princess. The Tsar then immediately set sail for Gvidon's kingdom where the family was reunited. They lived there happily ever after.

'Forest Fairies' $599.95 Size: 6 4/5 inches Metric: 17 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 10-20 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Forest Fairies' nesting doll before you is a great example of an exclusive quality matryoshka by Tatyana Remizova. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 7 to 12 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. RUSSIAN BEAUTY What is a typical old Russian conception of woman's beauty? The ideal of a beautiful woman was considered to be a tall, strong and stately woman with red cheeks, blue eyes and blonde hair. Such women were well-represented by the renowned Russian painter, Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev. Such woman's beauty was also taken as a starting point for original matryoshka making. In provincial Russia before the revolution the name Matryona or Matriyosha was a very popular female name. It was derived from the Latin root 'mater' which means 'mother'. This name was associated with the image of a mother of a big family who was very healthy and had a portly figure. Subsequently, it became a symbolic name and was used specially to describe brightly painted wooden dolls made in such a way that they could be taken apart to reveal smaller dolls fitting inside on another. The first nesting dolls of Sergiev Posad portrayed this special beauty: young girls dressed in Russian sarafans carrying baskets, scythes, bunches of flowers or dressed in winter short fur coats and scarves. The nesting doll before you is a great example of Russian beauty reflected in a matryoshka doll.

'Girls' (set 1) $526.1 Size: approx. 6'' Metric: 15 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 10-15 business days Origin: Russian Federation The ''Girls'' nesting doll before you is an exquisite example of Russian beauty and purity reflected in a unique matryoshka doll by a world famous Sergiev Posad artist, Svetlana Tregubova. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 8 to 10 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. RUSSIAN SERGIEV POSAD MATRYOSHKA In provincial Russia before the revolution the name Matryona or Matriyosha was a very popular female name. It was derived from the Latin root 'mater' which means 'mother'. This name was associated with the image of a mother of a big family who was very healthy and had a portly figure. Subsequently, it became a symbolic name and was used specially to describe brightly painted wooden dolls made in such a way that they could be taken apart to reveal smaller dolls fitting inside on another. The first nesting dolls of Sergiev Posad portrayed this special beauty: young girls dressed in Russian sarafans carrying baskets, scythes, bunches of flowers or dressed in winter short fur coats and scarves. This particular matryoshka is an exclusive example of a Sergiev Posad style married with a highly professional portrait painting.

'Girls' (set 2) $530.66 - reduced price $149.95 Size: approx. 6.4' Metric: 16 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 7-10 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Girls' nesting doll before you is an exquisite example of Russian beauty and purity reflected in a unique matryoshka doll by Tatyana Telpis, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 to 8 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer.

'Girls' (set 3) $526.1 Size: approx. 6'' Metric: 15 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 10-15 business days Origin: Russian Federation Product Details The ''Girls'' nesting doll before you is an exquisite example of Russian beauty and purity reflected in a unique matryoshka doll by a world famous Sergiev Posad artist, Svetlana Tregubova. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 8 to 10 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer.

'Girls' (set 4) $526.1 Size: approx. 6'' Metric: 15 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 10-15 business days Origin: Russian Federation Product Details The ''Girls'' nesting doll before you is an exquisite example of Russian beauty and purity reflected in a unique matryoshka doll by a world famous Sergiev Posad artist, Svetlana Tregubova. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 8 to 10 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer.

'Girls' (set 6) $514.74 - reduced price $139.95 Size: approx. 6.4' Metric: 16 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 7-10 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Girls' nesting doll before you is an exquisite example of Russian beauty and purity reflected in a unique matryoshka doll by Tatyana Telpis, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 to 8 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer.

'Girls' (set 7) $514.73 - reduced price $139.95 Size: approx. 6.4' Metric: 16 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 7-10 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Girls' nesting doll before you is an exquisite example of Russian beauty and purity reflected in a unique matryoshka doll by Galina Romanyuk, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 to 8 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer.

'Girls with Pets' $434.84 Size: approx. 6.4' Metric: 16 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: matte Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Girls with Pets' nesting doll before you is an exquisite example of Russian beauty and purity reflected in a unique matryoshka doll by a Moscow nesting doll artist Alla Lukash. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 business days to paint and coat with matte finish.

'Girls with Puppies' $169.95 Exclusive quality 5 piece nesting / stacking doll set picturing Russian girls with puppies Size: approx. 6 1/2 inches (16.25 cm). Consists of: 5 pieces. Finish: glossy (lacquer). Availability: ships within 7-10 business days. Origin: Russian Federation. As all of our nesting dolls, this 5 piece set is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the tallest one is signed by artist.

'Girls with Puppies & Kittens' $636.93 Size: approx. 18' Metric: 7.2 cm Consists of: 7 pieces Finish: matte Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Girls with Puppies & Kittens' nesting doll before you is an exquisite example of Russian beauty and purity reflected in a unique matryoshka doll by a Moscow nesting doll artist Alla Lukash. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5-7 business days to paint and coat with matte finish.

'Going to the Fair' $178.95 Exclusive quality nesting / stacking doll by Natalia Remizova, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. This is a truly unique matryoshka doll that make a wonderful addition to any nesting dolls collection. Size: approx. 6.44 inches (16.5 cm). Consists of: 5 pieces. Finish: glossy (lacquer). Availability: ships within 10-14 business days. Origin: Russian Federation. As all of our nesting dolls, this set is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the tallest one is signed by artist.

'Golden Ring of Russia' $120.24 Size: approx. 6.5' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 5-10 business days Origin: Russian Federation As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 3-5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the largest one is signed by artist. This exclusive quality doll displays gorgeous cathedrals of Moscow, Sergiev Posad, Vladimir, Suzdal, Rostov Veliky and other cities of 'The Golden Ring' of Russia. 'THE GOLDEN RING' OF RUSSIA 'The Golden Ring' of Russia is the name of the north-eastern part of what used to be the State of Muskovy which is famous for its historical monuments of old Russian architecture. Visiting Moscow, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Kostroma and other regions one sees splendid man-made monuments of the past which were there witnesses of historical events of Russia. The Golden Ring of Russia includes the following cities: Moscow [the current capital of Russia] Zagorsk (since 1930) or Sergiev Posad (renamed in 1991) [founded in 1345 by Sergius of Radonezh in the souhth of Smolensk-Moscow Hills] Vladimir [founded in 1108 on the left bank of the Klyazma River as a fortress by Vladimir Vsevoldovich Monomakh for defense of Rostov-Suzdal Rus] Suzdal [founded in the 9-10th century on the Kamenka River Valley] Rostov Veliky (or Rostov the Great) [first mentioned in chronicles in 862, located on the shore of Lake Nero] Yaroslavl [founded in 1010 on the Volga River by Yaroslav the Wise son of the Kievan Prince Vladimir] Kostroma [founded in the 12th century on the Volga River by Yury Dolgoruky] Pereslavl Zalessky [founded in 1152 on the river Trubezh] Uglich [founded in 937 on the Upper Volga] Novgorod [first mentioned in 859, located in the Priilmenskaya Lowland, on the River Volkhov]

'Happy Childhood' $129.5 The 'Happy Childhood ' nesting doll before you is an exclusive quality matryoshka doll painted by the best Moldovan artist. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 to 8 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. Imported from Russia.

'Hostess of the Copper Mountain' $105.21 Size: approx. 6.5'' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 7-12 business days Origin: Russian Federation As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 5-7 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the tallest one is signed by artist. Each piece in the set displays paintings based on the famous Russian fairy tale by Bazhov ''Hostess of the Copper Mountain''. ''HOSTESS OF THE COPPER MOUNTAIN'' by Bazhov This is a story from the mysterious Ural Mountains. It comes from a time when the spirits of forests and mountains still moved among humans, watching them, searching for those who could be taught their secrets before such ancient wisdom was lost forever. One such spirit was especially revered for her magic and great beauty. Some people knew her as an ancient mountain goddess; others called her the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, or the Malachite Lady, a name taken from the lovely green stone so often found in areas rich in copper... Once upon a time, a wandering boy was adopted by a lonely stonecutter named Prokopitch. Since Prokopitch had grown too old to care for his small flock of sheep and goats, taking in the orphan allowed Prokopitch to stay at home and carve while the boy drove the flock each day into their pasture above the village. The boy, Danila, loved animals and didn't mind being a shepherd, especially since he now had enough food and a warm bed at night. Each dawn, Prokopitch would prepare a lunch of thick bread and goat's cheese for the boy and Danila would set off into the mountains. Each evening, the boy would return. After dinner Danila would watch as the old man worked into the night, carving stone boxes and small animals by candlelight. They spoke little--the old man was unaccustomed to human companionship, and the boy was quiet by nature. One day, Danila forgot to take his lunch. Busy polishing a malachite box for an important client, Prokopitch never noticed. But as the noonday sun shone through the cottage windows, rays of light spilled over the boy's birchen basket and attracted the stonecutter's attention. The old man looked up. ''Eh? What's that? Poor boy, he'll need his lunch. He's thin enough as it is. I'll bring it up to him--the walk will do me good.'' The old man found his walking stick and set off. As the stonecutter neared the high pastures, he heard the sweet notes of a flute. Touched by the lovely music, he slowed his pace. Imagine his surprise when he went around a bend and saw that the piper was Danila! The boy sat on a large rock completely lost in his music while the herd grazed peacefully around him. On a smaller rock directly across from Danila, a lizard was sunning itself, its bright eyes fixed intently upon the boy. ''Danila!'' the man called in amazement. The startled boy spun around at the sound. The stonecutter went on, ''Even the birds are jealous of you--where did you learn to play like that?'' It's not m-m-me,'' the boy stammered. ''When I carved the p-p-pipe, I heard the music inside the wood.'' The old man reached for the wooden flute and examined it with a craftsman's eye. It was crude in places, and not well polished, but clearly the boy had a gift. ''Hmmm, hmm,'' he grunted, too wise to argue with the boy. ''Yes, yes, I see. It was inside the wood.'' After that, he often joined Danila for lunch. At first he came to listen to the music in the clear mountain air. But slowly he also began teaching the boy to carve wooden animals. Danila had nimble fingers and learned quickly. Prokopitch was pleased. Soon he taught Danila to carve more difficult figures, first in wood, then in stone. The old man was amused to see that the bright-eyed lizard often watched their lessons from a nearby rock. ''So you want to be an artist too, eh?'' he chuckled. The lizard paid no attention. Years passed and Danila grew from childhood to young manhood. One early spring day, Prokopitch discovered that someone besides the mountain lizard watched Danila. It was Katya, the young daughter of a neighbor. She was lying in the grass, her tender gaze fixed upon Danila's face as he played his flute. The old man smiled to himself and turned around before either of them noticed. The boy's becoming a man, he thought. Katya hadn't heard the old stonecutter approach that day. She heard only the music. As she watched Danila, she remembered when she had first fallen in love with him. She had been a little girl then. It was she who had first seen him wandering through the village streets, ragged, cold, and hungry. Something about his defiant stare touched her heart. ''What's your name?'' she asked. ''Danila,'' he replied. ''Danila, Danila,'' she murmured, loving its sound. ''Mine's Katya. Where do you live?'' He looked away from her. ''Nowhere.'' The little girl had drawn her brows tightly together and shut her eyes. The face of the old stonecutter flickered behind her eyes. She opened her eyes and pointed up a mountain path to Prokopitch's cottage. ''Go there,'' she said. The boy stared for a moment and then obeyed. After Prokopitch gave him a home, she sometimes joined the boy in the pasture where they played together with the goats. It was Katya who found the piece of wood that he carved into a flute. ''Will you play for me?'' she asked when it was finished. ''I don't know how yet,'' he replied. But when she joined him the next day, she discovered he'd already mastered the little flute. A lizard watched him with bright eyes -- and Katya felt a stab of jealousy because it was the lizard, not her, who first heard his music. She glared at the lizard but it ignored her. When Master Prokopitch began to join Danila, Katya came less frequently so that she wouldn't interfere with their lessons. But once she hid in the trees, watching them. She saw how Danila's eyes lit up when he was carving. She wondered if his eyes would ever light up that way when he looked at her. Now, as she lay in the grass watching him, listening to the otherworldly music, she wondered again if he would ever feel for her what she had long felt for him. Danila laid down the pipe and smiled at her. Then he reached for a small malachite lizard he was carving and Katya, disappointed, knew she had already become invisible to him. If it wasn't his music, it was his carving -- how could she compete? Sighing, she got to her feet and started back to the village. He never even looked up. Katya decided to stop visiting Danila after that, hoping he might miss her and call at her home. Weeks passed. Her mother noticed that Katya had become sad and pensive. ''What's wrong, little one?'' she asked. ''Nothing,'' Katya said. From outside she heard her name being called by a group of village maidens. ''Katya, Katya! -- we're going up to the forest! -- come with us!'' Grateful for a diversion, Katya accompanied them up to the birch forests on the far side of the village pastures. Being with her friends lightened Katya's spirits. The maidens filled the forest with laughter as they garlanded one another's heads with flowers and braids of birch leaves, and then roamed, singing, among the shining white trunks of the forest. Katya wandered off from the others. She was humming to herself, dreaming, when she saw a large, elegant white flower growing in the shade of a clump of tall birches. Awed, she drew in her breath. A thin sound floated through the birch grove, a sound like the wind, and suddenly she recognized it as the sound of Danila's flute. She was startled. Usually he pastured his flock at some distance from this place. She listened again, and slowly smiled. Hardly aware of what she was doing, Katya plucked the flower and walked towards the music. Danila sensed Katya's presence even before she left the shadows of the trees. He stopped piping and turned to face her. He had missed her very much. She saw his eyes light up and her heart skipped a beat. Finally! she thought, finally! Smiling, without a word, she held out the flower. Then, suddenly shy, she fled back into the birch trees and vanished. Danila was transfixed by the flower's beauty. He had never seen such a blossom before. He ran his fingers over the pale, smooth petals, feeling their coolness, their clean lines. If only I could carve something like this in stone! he thought. That evening Danila worked like one possessed, determined to find a way to capture the flower's beauty in stone. He memorized every vein and curve of the petals, their lilt and slope. When Katya returned to the pasture a few days later, hoping again to see the light in his eyes, he was nowhere to be found. Instead, a young neighbor's boy watched the flock. ''Where's Danila?'' she asked. ''Working,'' the child said. She went to Prokopitch's cottage, peering through the window, and saw Danila attacking a piece of stone with his chisels, sending stone chips flying in every direction. Nearby in a pitcher of water stood the flower she had given him. ''What have I done?'' she wondered miserably, and turned away. For many weeks Danila worked on his stone flower. Summer came and went and he continued to work. He thought of nothing else. Prokopitch tried to reason with him but Danila paid no attention. Autumn arrived and Katya wandered alone up in the pastures and along the streams. Once she thought she saw the lizard watching her, only it suddenly turned into a dark, shimmering woman who laughed at her and then vanished into the falling golden leaves. Katya shook her head, fearful that her heartbreak might lead to madness. In the early winter Danila finally finished the stone flower. The whole village agreed that it was beautiful. No one had ever seen a better one. But Danila was dissatisfied. The work was cleverly crafted, but lifeless. It looked like stone, not like living petals. He fell into a deep depression. Alarmed, Prokopitch sent for Katya and begged her to help. She called on Danila the following day and was relieved that at least a glimmer of light entered his eyes when he saw her. She sat across from him at the worktable. ''We must talk,'' she said, ''but first will you play your pipe for me?'' He protested but she insisted and finally he gave in. The music caught his spirit anew and he felt gently brushed by its joy for the first time in many months. He looked at Katya across the table, his eyes filling with tears. Never had she looked so beautiful to him. How could he not have known he was in love with her! How could he have wasted his time trying to carve something in stone that belonged only in frail tissues of life? He hated himself for his blindness, his foolishness. How fortunate that Katya was still patient with him! He put down his flute. ''Will you marry me, Katya?'' he whispered. Fresh snow fell gently on the day of their wedding and the whole village was there to celebrate. After the solemnities, there was feasting and dancing lasting far into the evening. Katya glowed with happiness, but a curious restlessness began growing in Danila. He moved around the room and finally joined a small group of men seated around the village elder. This withered old man was telling stories about the Mistress of Copper Mountain, whose underground kingdom, he said, was filled with jewels and shining flowers made of stone. Danila stared at the man's ancient face. ''I never heard of her before -- where is she to be found?'' he finally asked. ''High up in the mountains,'' the man said, looking at Danila with a strange half-smile, ''where no one ever goes. It's just a story, of course.'' The other men laughed, emptied their glasses, called for more, and no one noticed when Danila slipped out of the house. He went back to Prokopitch's cottage and stared at his stone flower in the moonlight on his worktable. It seemed to taunt him, mocking him for his lack of skill. Danila picked up a mallet and smashed the flower into tiny pieces. Then, determined to find the Malachite Lady or perish in the attempt, he ran out into the snowy night and headed for the mountains. He walked for days. At first he felt neither hunger nor cold. Once, hearing a rustling in the pines behind him, he glanced back and thought he glimpsed a dark-haired woman in rainbow robes following him. He blinked in surprise -- and she vanished. When the pines rustled again, his sharp eyes caught sight of a lizard jumping from one bough to another. My eyes are playing tricks on me, he thought -- first a beautiful woman, then a summer lizard! After many days Danila found himself in a high mountain pass facing a towering expanse of solid rock. Cold, hunger, and exhaustion swept through him. He couldn't go forward, nor did he have the strength to go back. Despairing, he sank to the ground and put his head in his hands. ''I've been a fool,'' he muttered. ''And now I've lost everything -- Katya, my life, my work. I've lost it all.'' A sound like the tinkling of crystal bells came to his ears. I'm dying, he thought, and buried his head more deeply in his hands. The tinkling continued, growing louder, then turned into laughter. Startled, Danila looked up and again saw the dark-haired woman in rainbow robes. ''You!'' he breathed in awe. Lost childhood memories unexpectedly flooded into his mind and Danila realized he had been dreaming of her ever since he was a little boy. ''Yes, I've always been near you,'' she was laughing again, the sound of tiny temple bells blowing in the wind. ''I've been waiting for you for a long time.'' She seemed to blur for a moment, turning into a woman as tall as the pines, watching him serenely, her embroidered garments as green as malachite. Shapeshifting again, she became human sized, dressed in flowing garments the color of rubies and carnelians. Her face changed, darkened, and the robes were lapis lazuli, amethyst, shimmering, then fading, until Danila was amazed to see nothing but a small lizard, staring boldly, while tinkling laughter rang all around them. He reached out to touch the tiny creature, but it vanished in a flash, leaving the dark-haired woman in robes of many hues. In her hand was a birch wand, new green leaves sprouting from its tip. She waved it towards the wall of solid rock and the wall began to move, one side sliding out from another, revealing steps cut into the rock, leading down into the depths of the mountain. ''Come,'' she ordered. Heart pounding, Danila followed. The mountain-goddess guided him through caverns, each one more beautiful than the last. Their walls shone with outcroppings of gems, and more jewels covered the ground. One cavern had a ceiling so low that Danila could barely stand upright -- the amethyst walls were lit from by an unseen light source and he felt as if he and the Mistress of Copper Mountain were held for a moment in the jewel's heart. She touched his brow briefly, and rivers of fire wakened throughout his body. Then she moved on, calling him to follow her into a cavern whose ceiling stretched so far up into the shadows that he could not even see where it ended. She sat on a stone bench and gestured for him to join her. Scooping up a handful of precious gems from the floor, she tempted him with them. ''All these can be yours,'' she smiled. ''No,'' he said firmly. ''I'm not looking for wealth.'' Again she touched his brow. ''What then?'' she asked. ''The Stone Flower,'' he replied. ''I want you to teach me how to carve the stone into something so wondrous that it seems like living tissue.'' She rose to her feet. ''Come then,'' she said, pleased. It seemed to Danila that they walked forever through caves of dazzling light before they finally reached one filled with stone flowers, small and large, of many colors, blossoming from the walls and ground. He had never seen anything so beautiful. Shall I ever be able to master this art? he wondered. ''Not even I can answer that,'' she murmured, reading his thoughts. They went down more steps and finally entered a cave with a great uncut piece of translucent green stone thrusting straight up out of the ground to a height twice Danila's own size. Danila stared in wonder. ''This is your Stone Flower,'' she said quietly. ''It's been waiting for you for a very long time. Your tools are there at its foot.'' She turned to leave. ''B-b-ut,'' he stammered. ''I don't yet know the secret. Forgive me, Holy Lady, but I'd hoped you'd teach me this.'' She laughed, her form blurring and shifting until she stood as tall as a great pine. ''You've always known the secret, Danila. Listen to the music inside the stone just as you listened to it inside the wood when you carved your flute. Don't force it to become what you want. Listen to what the stone wants.'' Then she vanished. With a mixture of fear and exhilaration, Danila went to the great stone and leaned his cheek against it, rubbing his hands over it in a caress. He heard nothing. He sat down with his back against the stone, trying to breathe its patterns into his own body. Exhausted, he finally curled up beside it and slept. When he awoke, he discovered warm bread, fresh berries, and a flask of mountain water standing nearby. Ravenous, he ate and drank, then slept again. Finally, rested, he again leaned his face against the stone, embracing it with his arms, staying in that position for hours, listening, listening, and, slowly, hearing. Only after many days did he finally begin carving, only when the stone's music had melted into him, becoming part of him. Only then did he truly know that the stone was inviting him to carve it into the flower that had long sung, invisibly, deep within the mineral's heart. In the outside world, winter had turned to spring, then summer, and finally autumn while Katya grieved for her husband. Her parents and friends all urged her to forget Danila and marry someone else, but she refused. At last, to get away from their nagging voices, she went to stay with Prokopitch, helping him polish his stone boxes, selling them for him in the village market, and preparing his meals. The old man rarely spoke, and this suited Katya's own sorrowful mood. She never went up to the pastures anymore. A neighbor's child tended the old man's sheep and goats, but the child had his meals with his own family and Katya rarely saw him. One evening, while Prokopitch was carving, Katya was brushing her hair in front of a mirror. She stared dreamily into the mirror, mesmerized by the movement of her golden hair in the candlelight. Suddenly, the surface of the mirror trembled and clouded over. Startled, Katya leaned closer and watched as Danila appeared before her eyes! She saw him in a cavern with jewels glistening from the walls, but these were nothing compared with the beauty of the translucent green flower he was carving. ''Danila!'' she cried, and it almost seemed as if he heard her, for he dropped his chisel, and looked around. She reached out to touch him, but her fingers met only her mirror. Then a second figure appeared -- the dark woman she thought she had seen turn into a lizard when she had wandered heartbroken through the upper pastures a year earlier. The woman reached out for Danila and he moved willingly into her arms. ''No!'' Katya sobbed, ''no.'' The vision vanished. Katya went the next day to seek the advice of the village elder, a wise man, older than anyone in living memory. He listened with half shut eyes. ''It's Her,'' he said at last. ''That's who you saw. Danila asked about Her the night of your wedding. I told him it was only a story but he must have guessed the truth.'' ''Her? Who do you mean, 'her'?'' Katya demanded. When she learned what the elder knew, little though it was, she decided to follow Danila into the high mountains. Goddess or not, she determined, she and Danila belonged together and she wanted him back. The first snows were starting to fall when Katya kissed Prokopitch goodbye, told him not to worry, and set off. She was warmly dressed and carried enough food to last for several days, or longer, if she were careful. The elder hadn't known how long she might have to walk and she wanted to be prepared. The storm worsened as she climbed higher. Trees reached out to catch at her clothing, roots sprang up to trip her, the wind tore at her braids, tangling them in the branches, and a tree uprooted itself before her eyes and nearly crushed her. Several times she thought she heard tiny bells and someone laughing at her, and once she glimpsed the dark lizard-woman, but a moment later there was nothing. ''Maybe she's watching me, maybe she's not,'' Katya muttered aloud. ''I don't care. She can't stop me.'' Katya had great courage. She trusted that even her otherworldly rival would be unable to defeat the strength of Katya's love for Danila. The dangers she might have to face on the way were small compared to treasure she sought. Danila's work on the Stone Flower was nearing completion. He was awed that the stone had allowed him to shape its music into such beauty. The petals seemed to breathe, lit by an inner radiance. The stone has given me the secret of giving form to its soul, he thought. Sometimes he wondered if the stone's soul and his own weren't the same, so closely were they intertwined. He stepped back now, gazing upwards at the luminous petals. The goddess suddenly appeared at his side, her silken green robes swirling around her. Danila barely glanced at her. Frowning, she read his thoughts. He's restless, she thought, and irritable. He thinks he's accomplished what he came for but he's wrong. I've been able to awaken his soul but not his human heart. Without both, one day he'll abuse what now still has the power to awe him. He's flawed, like a jewel with no warmth. It's better that he die here. Unless... She blurred her form into a wind, leaving the caverns far behind, and a moment later she was swirling high above the pines, searching for a hungry, exhausted woman lost in the mountains. Katya couldn't permit herself to recognize that she was hopelessly lost, starving, her feet swollen, her clothes torn, her body frozen and numb. It would be so good, she thought, just to sit and rest for a moment, to lie in the snow, to fall asleep, and never wake. ''No,'' she muttered grimly. ''Never. I'll keep searching as long as I have any strength left.'' She closed her eyes tightly and tried to summon the visions that had once came to her so readily. But nothing happened. She opened them and stumbled on. ''Danila, Danila,'' she murmured, finding strength in his name. Hours later, not knowing nor caring how she got there, Katya found herself in a mountain pass facing a towering expanse of rock. It looked impassable, yet scattered birch leaves marked a path towards something glowing at the base of the dark rock, inviting her to draw nearer. When she did, she discovered a secret entrance -- and steps leading down into a cavern shining with light. Cautiously, she entered. It was warm inside. She found a steaming, hissing pool of mineral waters where she knelt and drank. She felt the warmth coursing through her body, restoring her. Beyond the pool was a tunnel leading into larger caverns. ''Danila!'' she called as the path drew her downwards. * * * The Malachite Lady stood at Danila's side and reached out to touch his cheek. He pulled away. ''No,'' he said shortly. ''Not now -- forgive me, Holy Lady, but the stone flower is finished now. I need to leave -- I need to show others what I can do. I miss the pastures, the forests. I miss --'' and his voice caught in a half-sob, ''I miss Katya. I've been down here too long.'' As he turned, she reached out to hold him back but he tore away and rushed toward one of the tunnels leading out of the cavern. Abruptly, a sheet of rock fell into place, sealing it off. Frightened, Danila ran towards another opening, trying to hurtle through it before she could act. But another sheet of rock was already crashing into place. Her tinkling laughter rang through the air. ''You see, you can't leave me if I don't wish it.'' From a distance Danila heard someone calling his name and he froze, dazed, as the name echoed through the vast network of caves. Slowly, the voice came nearer until finally he recognized it. ''Katya!'' he cried, springing towards the last opening. ''Katya! Katya!'' He leaped through the passage and into the next cavern, still shouting, rushing over the uneven ground. Katya, guided by his voice, now suddenly appeared at the other end of the same cavern and ran towards him as if her feet were winged. They met for a moment in a tearful, joyous embrace. Then Danila broke free. ''Come,'' he whispered urgently, ''I must get you out of here before it's too late!'' The laughter of a thousand tiny bells filled the cavern and the Mistress of Copper Mountain towered above them. ''Quick!'' Danila said, ''get behind me.'' He tried to pull her to safety, but Katya was too fast. She stepped forward, boldly confronting the goddess. ''You've kept him long enough,'' she shouted. ''Now it's my turn! -- I want him back!'' The towering figure blurred and coiled itself into a woman in rainbow robes who was now only slightly taller than Katya herself. Katya stared into her dark, fathomless eyes. ''I know you've cared well for him,'' she said more gently, ''but no one could love him as much as I do -- please, please, Holy Lady, let him go.'' The goddess shifted her gaze to Danila. ''And you, Danila?'' she asked softly. ''What is in your heart?'' Danila couldn't speak. He moved forward, placing one arm protectively around Katya. Tears streamed down his face as he felt his heart bursting within him. The Malachite Lady read his heart. Yes, she thought, we've succeeded at last. Turning back to Katya, she reached into her flowing sleeves and pulled out a malachite box. ''I entrust it to you, Katya. I've already given Danila the secret of the Stone Flower, but to you, I give of my own essence.'' Katya opened the box and gasped. It was filled with pebbles and jewels in all the colors of the rainbow. She picked up a plain stone of polished granite and saw the goddess blur into a spirit of grey mists and fog with a laughter as rich as summer thunder. Then a piece of amber, and the mists swirled downward and turned into a small woman in golden robes embroidered with pine needles. A ruby, and the goddess grew tall, dressed in snapping flames. Lapis Luzuli, and she turned into a cosmic mother whose robes were the night sky scattered with stars. She smiled at Katya. ''Back in your world, you'll no longer see me as you just have, but the power remains coiled in each stone, responsive to a heart wise enough to understand.'' Then she vanished. The ending is simply told: Katya and Danila found their way back into the world, where it was springtime. The villagers welcomed them with joy. Danila soon became famous for his wonderful stone flowers and people came from as far away as the Czar's court to admire them. Katya and Danila had many children and Danila patiently taught them the secrets of his craft. But Katya taught them the most important thing of all -- respect for the inner wealth and unseen powers lying in the trees, lizards, rocks, and streams all around them.

'Jesus Our Saviour' $148.84

'Kittens' (set 1) $74.95 Size: approx. 6.5' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 5-10 business days Origin: Russian Federation As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 3-5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the tallest one is signed by artist.

'Kittens' (set 2) $74.95 Size: approx. 6.5' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 5-10 business days Origin: Russian Federation As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 3-5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the tallest one is signed by artist.

'Little Farm Maidens' $195.95 Size: approx. 6.5' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 7-11 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Little Farm Maidens' nesting doll before you is an exclusive quality matryoshka doll painted by Tatyana Telpis, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 to 8 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. Imported from Russia.

'Mother' $147 Size: approx. 6.5' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 7-11 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Mother's Heart' nesting doll before you is an exclusive quality matryoshka doll painted by Natalia Onofrei, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 to 8 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. Imported from Russia.

'Mother's Heart' $195.95 Size: approx. 6.5' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 7-11 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Mother's Heart' nesting doll before you is an exclusive quality matryoshka doll painted by Tatyana Remizova, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 to 8 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. Imported from Russia.

'Ocean Treasures' $109.95 Size: approx. 5.6' Metric: 14 cm Consists of: 3 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 7-11 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Ocean Treasures' nesting doll before you is an exclusive quality matryoshka doll painted by Natalia Onofrei, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 to 8 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. Imported from Russia.

'Old-Time Russian Motives' $99.95 Size: approx. 6.4' Metric: 16 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 5-10 business days Origin: Russian Federation As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It was handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist in the old City of Vladimir. The painting is done in the old time Russian traditions, reminding us of popular Russian legends and bylinas. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 3-5 layers of crystal clear lacquer. The tallest doll is signed by the artist.

'Orthodox Priests' $83.86 Size: approx. 6.5'' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 5-10 business days Origin: Russian Federation Product Details As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 3-5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the tallest one is signed by artist. RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH The Russian Orthodox Church has a history that is is more that one thousand years old. St. Anthony of the Caves founded the famous Monastery of the Caves in Kiev, which was to become the center of religious life in Old Russia. The monasteries in Russia were the major centers of education; they recorded all the main historical events in the life of Russia. Freedom of worship is one of the keystones of the modern Russian constitution. Around 11,000 places of worship are registered in Russia, according to the Ministry of Justice (1994). They belong to the following world religions, denominations of Christianity and other faiths: - Russian Orthodox Church - 5,494 - Islam - 3,264 - Evangelical Christian - Baptists - 550 - Pentecostals - 192 - Adventists - 156 - Old Believers - 141 - Roman Catholic - 138 - Evangelical Protestants - 109 There are also dozens of other places of worship for other faiths, including Buddhist, Jewish, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists and Hare-Krishna. There are 132 inter-denominational churches. The Eastern Church calls itself the Orthodox Church, which means the ''right teaching'', because it claims to keep much closer to the teachings of the Apostles than the Roman Church does. Christianity helped unite Russian people and promote the development of a written language, and also helped introduce Byzantine culture to Russia.

'Peasant Girls' (set 1) $120.24 Size: approx. 6.5'' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 10-15 business days Origin: Russian Federation The ''Girls'' nesting doll before you is a beautiful example of Sergiev Posad style nesting doll by Oxana Ivashenko. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 to 7 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 3-5 layers of lacquer.

'Peasant Girls' (set 2) $120.24 Size: approx. 6.5'' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 10-15 business days Origin: Russian Federation The ''Girls'' nesting doll before you is a beautiful example of Sergiev Posad style nesting doll by Oxana Ivashenko. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 to 7 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 3-5 layers of lacquer.

'Russian Aristocracy' $150.3 Size: a approx. 8' Metric: a 20 cm Consists of: a 7 pieces Finish: a glossy (lacquer) Availability: a ships within 10-15 business days Origin: a Russian Federation a As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 5-7 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the largest one is signed by artist. RUSSIAN ARISTOCRACY This nesting doll displays the garments of Russian 18th century aristocracy. The artist has spent a considerable amount of time painting the details of ladies' dresses, doing her best to carry the atmosphere of the 18th century to present day. This is truly one-of-a-kind nesting doll.

'Russian Ballet' $150.3 Size: a approx. 8' Metric: a 20 cm Consists of: a 7 pieces Finish: a glossy (lacquer) Availability: a ships within 7-12 business days Origin: a Russian Federation a As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 5-7 layers of crystal clear lacquer, and the largest one is signed by artist. RUSSIAN BALLET Russia has made a unique contribution to the development of ballet. Ballet was introduced in Russia together with other aristocratic dance forms as part of Peter the Great's Westernization program in the early 1700s. The first ballet school was established in 1734, and the first full ballet company was founded at the Imperial School of Ballet in St. Petersburg in the 1740s. Italian and French dancers and choreographers predominated in that period, but by 1800 Russian ballet was assimilating native elements from folk dancing as nobles sponsored dance companies of serfs. European ballet critics agreed that the Russian dance had a positive influence on West European ballet. Marius Petipa, a French choreographer who spent fifty years staging ballets in Russia, was the dominant figure during that period; his greatest triumphs were the staging of Tchaikovsky's ballets. Other noted European dancers, such as Marie Taglioni, Christian Johansson, and Enrico Cecchetti, performed in Russia throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, bringing new influences from the West. The most influential figure of the early twentieth century was the impresario Sergey Diaghilev, who founded an innovative touring ballet company in 1909 with choreographer Michel Fokine, dancer Vaslav Nijinksy, and designer Alexandre Benois. After the staging of Stravinskiy's controversial The Rite of Spring , World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution kept Diaghilev from returning to Russia. Until Diaghilev died in 1929, his Russian dance company, the Ballet Russe, was headquartered in Paris. In the same period, the emigre dancer Anna Pavlova toured the world with her troupe and exerted a huge influence on the art form. After Diaghilev, several new companies calling themselves the Ballet Russe toured the world, and new generations of Russian dancers filled their ranks. George Balanchine, a Georgian emigre and protege of Diaghilev, formed the New York City Ballet in 1948. Meanwhile, the Soviet government sponsored new ballet companies throughout the union. After a period of innovation and experimentation in the 1920s, Russia's ballet reverted under Stalin to the traditional forms of Petipa, even changing the plots of some ballets to emphasize the positive themes of socialist realism. The most influential Russian dancer of the mid-twentieth century was Rudolf Nureyev, who defected to the West in 1961 and is credited with establishing the dominant role of the male dancer in classical ballet. A second notable emigre, Mikhail Baryshnikov, burnished an already brilliant career in the United States after defecting from Leningrad's Kirov Ballet in 1974. The large cities of Russia traditionally have their own symphony orchestras and ballet and opera houses. Although funding for such facilities has diminished in the 1990s, attendance at performances remains high. The ballet companies of the Bol'shoy Theater in Moscow and the Kirov Theater in St. Petersburg are world renowned and have toured regularly since the early 1960s.

'Russian Bylina' $237.49 Size: approx. 7.2 inches Metric: 18 cm Consists of: 7 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 12-15 business days Origin: Russian Federation As all of our nesting dolls, this outstanding ''Russian Bylina'' set is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 5-7 layers of crystal clear lacquer. The whole set is painted by an artist who is also a professional icon-painter. RUSSIAN BYLINAS embodied in an exclusive-quality nesting doll 'Bylina' or 'bilyna' is a Russian epic song (equivalent of a 'legend'), reflecting some historical event(s). The most famous ones were the bylinis of Ilya Murometz and 'Sadko' (you may read more about Ilya Murometz and 'Sadko' below). This 7-piece 'Bylina' nesting doll is drawn by a professional icon-painting artist from Palekh. Each piece of the nesting dolls shows a scene from a different Russian bylina: 1st doll - Three Warriors. 2nd doll - Dorbynya & Serpent. Dobrynya was a good friend of Ilya Murometz. Was empowered with a miraculous strength. Serpent in Russian bylinas is a symbol of paganism. Dobrynya's victory over the Serpent implied the superiority of the Russian culture over barbarism. 3rd doll - Warrior on the Crossroads. 4th doll - Sadko. 5th doll - Mikula Selyaninovich. Generalized person embodying Russian peasants as the foundation of the culture. 6th doll - Svyatogor. An embodiment of unparalleled strength of Russian men. 7th doll - Avdotya Ryazanochka. Yes, Russian bylinas were not only male-centered. They had also praised women. This particular Russian lady was hailed for patriotism in helping her countrymen flee from the enemy's captivity. The quality of this seven-piece nesting doll is exceptional.

'Russian Winter' (set 1) $150.3 Size: a approx. 8' Metric: a 20 cm Consists of: a 7 pieces Finish: a glossy (lacquer) Availability: a ships within 5-10 business days Origin: a Russian Federation a As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 3-5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, displaying beautiful scenes of traditional Russian winter. The tallest doll is signed by the artist. RUSSIAN CLIMATE & VISITING RUSSIA Most of Russia has a continental climate ù the winters are bone chilling and the summers can be boiling. The swings are most extreme in southern and central Siberia, but even in Moscow temperatures can range from -30 to 30 Celsius (-20 to 100 Fahrenheit). The Black Sea coast and its resort communities tend to have the least swing. Late spring, early summer and the fall are good times to visit. During the hot summer months of July and August cities shut down as locals head to the countryside to live off the land at their dachas. In the beginning of September the ballets and the operas start back up and the cities come to life again. (The performing arts season runs from about September to May, although there are occasional shows in the summer, especially during St. Petersburg's White Nights Festival in June.) The first real cold hits Moscow and St. Petersburg sometime in November and there's usually snow on the ground from December through April. If you're prepared for the cold, Russia is often at its most beautiful under a blanket of snow. Winter is also the peak of the theater season and generally has fewer tourists. Steer clear of the mud and slush that covers the country during the spring thaw (April to May) and late fall. ® Copyright 'The MoscowTimes'

'Russian Winter' (set 2) $150.3 Size: a approx. 8' Metric: a 20 cm Consists of: a 7 pieces Finish: a glossy (lacquer) Availability: a ships within 5-10 business days Origin: a Russian Federation a As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 3-5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, displaying beautiful scenes of traditional Russian winter. The tallest doll is signed by the artist.

'Sights of Moscow' $120.24 Size: approx. 6.5'' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 5-12 business days Origin: Russian Federation As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 5-7 layers of crystal clear lacquer. The tallest doll is signed by the artist. Each doll displays a miniature painting of one of Moscow's places of interest. MOSCOW Population: 8.6 m Area: 994 sq. km Main street: Tverskaya Main square: Red Square Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, administrative and cultural center, and a heroic city. It is the biggest city in the country and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is the seat of the government of Russia. Every year thousands of tourists from all over the world come here to admire Moscow's streets, the ancient Kremlin and the Metro stations, to visit its theaters, museums, parks, stadiums and places of interest. A bit of history... The first mention of Moscow is in a chronicle of the year 1147, and this year is taken as the date of the founding of the city. In 1156, Prince Yury Dolgoruky built a small wooden fortress on the high Borovitsky HIll where the Neglinnaya River flows into the Moskva River. Later, the wooden walls were replaced with stone ones. In 1367, Dmitry Donskoy erected great Kremlin ramparts of white stone; henceforward, Moscow became known as ''Belokamennaya'' (White-Stone City). The walls that surround the Kremlin today were built in 1485-1495. By that time, Moscow has already become the capital of the centralized Russian state and remained such till the 18th century, when Peter I transferred the capital of the Russian Empire to St. Petersburg. In March 1918, Moscow became the capital of the first socialist state. In 1997, the residents of Moscow celebrated the 850th anniversary of its foundation.

'Summer in Russian Village' $134.75 Size: approx. 6.5' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 7-11 business days Origin: Russian Federation The 'Summer in Russian Village' nesting doll before you is an exclusive quality matryoshka doll painted by Tatyana Remizova, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 to 8 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. Imported from Russia.

'Summer in Village of Fedoskino' $99.95 Size: approx. 6.5' Metric: 16.25 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: glossy (lacquer) Availability: ships within 7-12 business days Origin: Russian Federation As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. This particular one is made in the city of Vladimir. It is first handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll is coated with 3-5 layers of crystal clear lacquer, displaying beautiful scenes of traditional Russian summer in the Village of Fedoskino, famous throughout the world for its unique style of lacquer miniature painting. The paintings on the bellies of the dolls in this set are done in the Fedoskino style.

'Zastolye' / 'Russian Feast' $119.95 - reduced price $97.95 Height: 6 1/2 inches (16.25 cm). Consists of 5 pieces. Origin: Russia. The 'Zastolye' nesting doll before you is an exclusive quality matryoshka doll painted by Tatyana Telpis, an artist that works exclusively for Russian Legacy. Each nesting doll set is made to order and the whole set takes the artist 5 business days to paint and 2-3 more days to coat it with 5-7 layers of lacquer. 'Zastolye' is a Russian feast. Being very hospitable, Russians love good meals. This set portrays a woman with a roast suckling pig, her husband with a salted mushroom on fork in one hand and a shot of vodka in the other, their children (a boy and a girl) with baked products, and their cat. This wooden nesting doll is imported directly from Russia, and will undoubtedly make a wonderful gift to anyone facinated with Russia and/or Russian culture and the hospitality of Russians.

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