(1) A matryoshka doll refers to a set of dolls of decreasing word size placed one inside the other. The word “matryoshka” literally “little matron”, is a diminutive form of the Russian female first name “Matryona”. The first doll set in Russia was carved in 1890 by Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by Sergey Malyutin, who was a folk crafts painter. Traditionally the outer layer is a woman, dressed in a sarafan, a long traditional Russian dress. (2) It is believed Zvyozdochkin and Malyutin were inspired by a doll from Honshu, the main island of Japan. Sources differ in their descriptions, describing it as either a round, hollow doll or a nesting doll, portraying a bald old Buddhist monk. The best title for this passage is …………
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