Barbara Sherrill could think of no better place to donate a portion of her prized matryoshka doll collection.
Sherrill, a retired third-grade instructor at Lincoln Elementary School, was on hand to give away 20 such dolls at a Tuesday assembly.
A matryoshka, or nesting doll, is a small, hollow and ornately decorated wood doll that opens to reveal a smaller version inside. The smaller doll, in turn, has another figure inside it, and so on, until the smallest doll is easily dwarfed by the largest.
Sherrill began collecting the dolls in the mid 1990s, at the same time of her retirement, eventually accumulating 100.
Space became an issue, she said, which led to her Lincoln donation.
Deb Greenwall, Lincoln librarian, showed the students a video explaining how the nesting dolls are made.
Most are put on a lathe and hollowed out and shaped by hand before the dolls are hand-covered with linseed oil and finally painted.
Each piece is considered a remarkable piece of art, Greenwall explained, because of the precise detail in which its made, with ornate pictures and paintings.
The matryoshka dolls were lined up for the students to see all at once. Sherrill also showed off her egg jewelry, small egg-shaped charms that can be affixed to necklaces or bracelets.
The students, in turn, gave Sherrill a signed card thanking her for her gift.
The gesture brought an emotional response from Sherrill, whose voice cracked as she thanked the students.
Nesting doll collection donated to Lincoln
