Traditional Russian Matryoshka Nesting Doll

This is a hand-painted wooden Matryoshka doll, a traditional Russian handicraft. The doll is carved from a light-density wood, likely linden or birch, and finished with a yellow, red, and black polychrome paint scheme protected by a glossy lacquer coating. It features the classic 'Semyonov' style aesthetic, characterized by a bright yellow body and a red floral shawl (platok). The facial features are rendered with simple black linework depicting large eyes, thin eyebrows, and small red lips. The front of the doll is decorated with large, hand-brushed red flowers and delicate black scrollwork. A significant vertical structural crack is visible on the front torso, extending from the scarf line down through the center of the floral motif, which suggests wood shrinkage or environmental stress. Minor abrasions and paint thinning are evident along the base and the central seam where the two halves join. Based on the simplistic folk-art execution and the patina of the lacquer, this item appears to be a mid-to-late 20th-century souvenir-grade piece. The craftsmanship is functional rather than fine-art, lacking the intricate detail found in professional gallery-grade nesting dolls, but it remains a representative example of late Soviet-era or post-Soviet mass-produced folk art.