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Panka doll. Early 19th century. Arkhangelsk District, Arkhangelsk Province
Carving on wood
19,6 x 6 x 7,2
State Russian Museum
Annotation
This is the name for a type of northern doll that is made from a tree stump, rounded or faceted, in which a head in the form of a ball or a cone and the trunk in the form of a cone or even a cube have been created using an axe. The indent indicates a waist, and from it hangs a skirt. The figure either does not have arms at all, or they are flat against the body. The faces of these dolls are flat and are reminiscent of the faces of idols. Researchers see echos of the ancient cults of the past in panka dolls. In the North, for instance, it was customary to put wooden posts with carved heads dressed in real clothes in front of huts, which were memorial images of the owners of the home. Such toys are done in the medium of carving using an axe, or carpentry.