How tall is the world’s biggest nesting doll? How many pieces does it have? A nesting doll is carved from one piece of wood, so its size is limited by the size of the tree and the carver's ability. The largest nesting doll we have stocked was a blank that 27.5" tall and had 70 pieces. If you have seen a nesting doll with more pieces than this, we invite you to share it here!
To make such a large doll, each piece must be carved paper thin. Such a task requires the skill of a master carver. A matryoshka with so many pieces is truly a rare find in the world of nesting dolls.
Watch this video to see how much efforts takes carving only one large doll. The carvers in Polkhovski Maidan use DIY-made lathes with the spindle fixed inside two huge oak foundation pillars buried deep in the ground. This construction effectively absorbs vibrations caused by the heavy blanks.
Back in 2010, a shopping mall in Hong Kong commissioned us paint this 70 pc. doll for their Chrismas exhibition. Their artist created sketches of 12 Hong Kong celebrities. Golden Cockerel's artist Alexander Starovoytov reproduced the sketches on the 70 piece nesting doll.
The biggest challenge was to prevent the paper-thin wooden dolls to soak moisture from the paints. It could have deformed them and ruined the perfect fit and the compact nest. Alexander did a brilliant job using a hair-thin paint brush to paint the sketches even on the smallest dolls.
The customer was so pleased with the doll and invited the artist to Hong Kong for a interview. The world's largest nesting doll was set on a stage. Lined up it took more than 6 m long space on the table!
Check out other bespoke custom nesting dolls we've created for our clients.
The nesting doll pictured at the right is 17.5" tall and has 30 pieces. The smallest piece is the size of a grain of rice! The average nesting doll is 6-8 inches tall with 5-7 pieces.
Nesting-Doll Square in Manzhouli, China is home to 100-foot tall matryoshka sculptures. The dolls feature Chinese, Russian, and Mongolian girls. Over 200 figures stand in the square. However these dolls are not carved from a solid piece of wood as the authentic Russian nesting dolls.
Be aware that most of Chinese nesting dolls are carved on automated lathes. You may recognize a nesting doll made in China by the flatter top of the head, rougher cut and heavier weight. China artisans copy many designs of Russian nesting dolls, but if you look closer you may find many differences between Chinese nesting dolls and authentic Russian nesting dolls.
Feel free to contact us if you want to learn more or share info about the world's largest nesting dolls.