Ronnie Wood - an ardent collector of Russian dolls

London (ANI): English rock guitarist and bassist Ronnie Wood's obsession with anything Russian did not start with his girlfriend Ekaterina Ivanova. The Rolling Stones member has been revealed to be an ardent collector of Russian dolls, and the painted wooden figures prove that his fascination with women from the former Soviet Union has been going on for a long time.

"Ron has loads of Russian dolls," the Sun quoted a source as saying. "He used to pick them up on the road when he was touring. He has dozens of them stored in his attic at the house in London. Years ago he used to have them placed around the house. He is really into art and design and liked the simple paintings of the women on them. The kids used to play with them as well when they were growing up," the source added.

Wood collected the stacking figures of decreasing sizes, which are also known as Matryoshka or Russian nested dolls. Traditionally the outer layer is a peasant woman in national dress holding a rooster, inside it contains other figures, usually ending in a baby that doesn't open.