In Russia, the word Matryoshka is associated with fertility and motherhood. The portly, checked doll on the outside represents the mother. She has the likeness of her many children painted on the smaller, inner dolls. These dolls are made entirely from natural products and are hand-painted. They can range in size from large, 15 inch masterpieces containing 40 or more smaller versions within, to tiny creations that require a magnifying glass to paint them and to see their tiny detail. They can take anywhere from 5 days to 18 months of work to complete. The painting of each doll can be extremely elaborate. Other names for these dolls are stacking dolls or Babushka dolls.
