Published: 26 Jan 2024

Ever since I was a child, I have been captivated by the 'world of miniature things'. It is difficult to say whether it is the fascination of seeing a small copy of a larger piece or the wonder, even admiration, that someone has had the patience and the skill to make an exact, tiny version of a larger item. Miniature items were often used as an educational tool, allowing small children to handle and examine them and learn about their use and significance. In 18th/19th century England, it was fashionable for extremely reputable factories, such as Wedgwood and Spode, to create miniature Tea and Dinner Services for use in the 'Upper Class Nursery', which were not intended just for playful purposes, but in order to help children to understand etiquette and manners, and also the presentation of food and the concept of service.  
In the nineteenth century, which was a great period for collecting, both in Europe and Northern America, miniature pieces, often, were given pride of place in people's homes, assembled in glass topped/sided Bijouterie Cabinets to create impressive collections of unusual tiny pieces. In Europe, in particular, the influence of the diminutive even extended to the Catholic Church, with the production of hand-made miniature Altars, Vestments, and a whole range of related items. The Altar pictured above has a small Altar Book Stand (with small printed text), Candlesticks, an Aspergillum, a Thurible and Incense Boat, Chalice, Monstrance and even a tiny Triple Sanctuary Bell which, when shaken, actually rings! There is even a tiny set of Rosary Beads hanging to the right hand side of the Reredos.  So, far from being items to delight small children, miniature pieces captivate the attention of adults too. It is an incredible fact, that they often command much higher prices, yet the fact that their increasing popularity is, I feel, quite important, and may signal that public interest and curiosity, and the appreciation of tiny things, may be a genuine and healthy indication that the love of Antique and Vintage items may be experiencing a revival, albeit in a small way.