This beautiful smiling maiden and her beloved orange tabby cat, "Whiskers", are inseparable.  Open her up and you'll find a charming set of five dolls. The perfect collectible for cat lovers. Hand painted in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Interestingly, the concept of the nesting doll came from China in the 19th century.  They evolved from the invention of the nested box, the first dolls were thinly turned and grotesquely lacquered with the smallest doll being a grain of rice.  The art went west and Russia who made 70 of them out of a Lime Tree and displayed them at the World's Fair in Paris in the 1920's.  Factories opened in Germany and Poland, the Russian and Polish thrived.  Russia took their doll making to an art form while Poland enjoyed them as toys.

This set is made primarily from silver birch which is seasoned for a number of years before being cut and painted.  Each doll is hand painted using environmentally friendly paint and coated in 2 layers of transparent varnish both sprayed and dipped.  The result is a glossy and durable surface.