Marzipan, St. Petersburg, Set of 5, 2020?

Title

Marzipan, St. Petersburg, Set of 5, 2020?

Description

2020? Set of five fable matryoshka dolls. St. Petersburg: Marzipan. 3,900 Rubles from Livemaster, Moscow. August, '20.

Here is a lovely set of matryoshkas illustrating five of Krylov's fables. Found by chance for about $50. I presume that it is one of a kind because the "Livemaster" website now marks this item as "sold." FC is well known to us, as is WL. The third doll features the ass and the nightingale. The ass tells the nightingale in the third that he could learn a few things from the rooster! In the fourth, a clever pug gets his reputation as courageous by seeming to take on a fight with an elephant that he knows will never happen. The elephant will not have anything to do with him! The last is the monkey with spectacles on the top of his head instead of in front of his eyes.

As the signature on the bottom of the largest doll indicates, this set is handcrafted. A large oval scene in the largest part of the doll presents scenes from FC; WL; "The Ass and the Nightingale"; "The Elephant and the Pug"; and "The Monkey and Spectacles." The stupid ass asks the nightingale to sing, and the bird's song enraptures every creature in the forest. The ass praises his song and then tells he could learn something from the rooster's beautiful singing. The knowing nightingale simply leaves without answering a comment so ludicrous. The little pug barks at the huge elephant with impunity because he knows that the elephant will not bother to retaliate. The elderly monkey is advised that glasses could help her failing vision. She gets several pair and puts them all over her body but finds that they do not help and dashes them against the wall. Here she seems to have them on upside down.

Source

3,900 Rubles from Livemaster, Moscow. August, '20.

Date

2020?

Subject

Carvings, Statues, & Figurines See all items with this value

Toys and Games See all items with this value

Matryoshka Dolls See all items with this value

The Fox and the Crow See all items with this value

The Wolf and the Lamb See all items with this value

The Ass and the Nightengale See all items with this value

The Elephant and the Pug See all items with this value

The Monkey and the Glasses See all items with this value