Memories of Italy in miniature

I have just returned from Italy and I confess that I forgot to take Daphne along. She was very upset with me until she saw what I brought back for her. 

She is tickled pink with her new Vespa and immediately stuck the souvenir gladiator helmet on her head, picked up the Roman forum cat and went for a ride. I can't get her off it

Italy is a beautiful country with so many different things to see. At one point in my travels I found myself on the Via San Gregorio Armeno, Street of Nativity Workshops in Naples, Italy.

It is a narrow pedestrian street crammed with artisan workshops selling nativity scenes (presepi in Italian), accessories, and terra cotta figures. It is a miniaturists dream.

It was frustrating to have only 10 minutes to shop and also to calculate the size of my suitcase and estimate what would fit in it for my return home. I could have spent hours there choosing handmade meats and other food for the kitchen of my antique dollhouses. I have never seen anything like it. 

In the end I selected the few items in the picture here for my FAO Mystery House kitchen. I could have rebelled and stayed longer, but I was following a tour leader and I was worried that if I lost him I would have to live in the street of the presepi forever. Actually that might have been okay, now that I think if it. Daphne has zoomed into the picture on her Vespa to show the scale of the items

Here is a close up of one of the meat baskets

And here is the other.

In Rome I found these wonderful magnets. I realize some of them are slightly out of scale for a dollhouse, but I couldn't resist. It's going to take the dollhouse family a long time to eat all that cheese. Daphne watch out for those cans!!

Down in Amalfi I found these wonderful hand-painted pictures and the sliver nativity scene in the velvet box. It is just the right size for a dollhouse. Amalfi has been a paper making town since Roman times and I found the two handmade miniature books at the paper mill museum. The venetian masks are lapel pins, and the two little jars contain gold and sliver, although I am not sure why they are tourist items. They are a good size for dollhouses though.

Here is  a closer look at the paintings

The little brass pieces are from museum gift shops and represent items from Ancient Rome. The black cat I bought on top of mount Vesuvius and is supposed to be carved of lava, although I have a feeling it is plaster. 

Sorrento is know for its ceramics and I found these lovely little bowls there. Now my dollhouse people have family sized spaghetti bowls. Daphne, watch out! These are breakable. 

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Oh no! There she goes again. I hope she realizes that her helmet isn't approved for the road. Well, at least she's not mad at me any more.

Two-Story Room Box. Antique German dollhouse from 1913.

This unusual room box has two stories. I believe it is from 1913, and is probably from The Moritz Gottschalk firm of Germany. The only other two storey dollhouse I have seen is on this blog: http://tracystoys.blogspot.ca/2011/12/german-room-box-dollhouse.html

The house has an entry hall with a water closet under the stairs, and a set of the usual
Gottschalk stairs to the second floor. The water closet has its original toilet with a wooden seat. These WCs are common in Gottschalk houses of this era.

Here is the side view of the entry way and the balcony. The house very god condition, but is missing all of its side windows. The windows on the back wall have upper window panes and lower sills.

The balcony came with lots of flowers and is furnished with antique Thonet Bentwood settee, table and chairs.

The formal parlour came with the unusual green furniture with gold painted trim. I believe that some of the lovely wall and floor papers are replacements. 

The small bedroom was fully furnished and included a sweet baby's crib. The lovely window coverings are a recent addition, but they are on an old rod with antique curtain clips. The presence of the baby tells me that these newlyweds have been married at least a year longer than Mr. and Mrs. Stübchen who have just moved into the other unusual room box next door.

The kitchen came unfurnished but had the old tin sink on the wall. I have raided my antique items to furnish it. The chairs are metal and the table and dresser are wood. The cute little maid has a cap moulded onto her bisque head and her original uniform, but I had to make her a replacement apron before she could go to work. The stove is a Bodo Hennig reproduction of a Marklin stove. It will have to stand in until I find the elusive antique version. I quickly pinned the lace curtain on the window, but I see that I should have put a little more effort in to it before I took the picture.

Mrs. Little is just about to serve tea to Mr. Little. The tea set is a great find from my recent trip to the Pennsylvania countryside. I never fail to come home from there with mini treasures. We also had a lot of fun visiting CM of Left Coast Mini who is in PA to visit her daughter.

Mr. Little is in his original suit. The moths have eaten part of his jacket, but over all he is in great condition for a man who is about 100 years old

I moved the tea table to show you the unusual furniture. The set includes a gentleman's chair, a ladies chair, a settee, bookcase, plant stand, clock and pedestal. 

The large bookcase has a drawer at the bottom.

The hanging clock has real works inside. They no longer keep time, so I may look into getting the clock repaired. The bottom has a hole for weights and a pendulum, but they have disappeared into the mists of time.

Little baby Little is entertained by a jumping Jack hanging over her crib.

Here is a better shot of the bedroom furniture. The mirror also came with the house.

I couldn't find this exact room box in the book Moritz Gottschalk, 1892-1931. The closest I could see were these with roofs. Perhaps mine originally had a roof too. 

Here is a view of the house from the front.

The upper windows are missing their frames and had no curtains. I quickly stitched up a pair for the parlour from an old lace scarf.

Antique Doll House Room Box with Front and back rooms

The newest addition to my collection is this very special room box from  1913.  I have never seen another one like it. The parlour, veranda and balcony are on one side, and ...

...the kitchen and bedroom are on the other.

The balcony came furnished with this pretty furniture and metal watering can. The furniture is the same style as the Czech dining room sets that were popular a few decades ago, but the painting is very different. Could it be an early version of those sets?

This little house seems to be the ideal honeymoon cottage, so I have decided that newlyweds live here. Young Mrs. Stübchen, has invited some of her new neighbours over. She is making a last check of her lovely parlour to see if all is ready. 

It is shown in the book, Moritz Gottschalk, 1892-1931, and it is from 1913. There is a larger version as well.

The ladies will enter via the flower filled veranda. There is no access to the balcony, but I suppose the dolls are so light they can fly up there. 

Mrs.  Stübchen is vey proud of the punch bowl and glasses she received as a wedding gift. She hopes her callers will be suitably impressed by the set.

Mr. Stübchen is still waiting for Mrs. Stübchen to bring him the suit she sent out to be cleaned. Luckily he is very patient because his suit is the last thing on her mind.

The cook has stayed to help Mrs. Stübchen with her party. She is unaware that  poor Mr. Stübchen is trapped in the bedroom now that the ladies have arrived.

Butch, the bulldog, knows that Cook is a soft touch and he is begging for treats.

Mr. Stübchen loves his new wife vey much, but he is beginning to realize that she is a little absent-minded. He hopes the ladies will leave soon. The truth of the matter is that I have not made Mr. Stübchen any clothes, so even if the ladies leave he still won't be able to find his pants. Maybe I should get on that min-project.

The end of the house has working shutters and a lovely trellis.

Thorne Miniature Rooms - Exquisite reproductions of dollhouse sized rooms.

For years I've been talking about going to Chicago to visit the miniature rooms in The Art Institute of Chicago. This past weekend my dream became a reality.




You can find out more and see pictures at the Art Institute website here.

They introduce the exhibit this way:
"The 68 Thorne Miniature Rooms enable one to glimpse elements of European interiors from the late 13th century to the 1930s and American furnishings from the 17th century to the 1930s. Painstakingly constructed on a scale of one inch to one foot, these fascinating models were conceived by Mrs. James Ward Thorne of Chicago and constructed between 1932 and 1940 by master craftsmen according to her specifications."

I took all of the pictures in this blog post. I held my camera against the glass of each exhibit in order to avoid reflections, so these shots show only partial rooms. The Art Institute website has full images of the rooms and when you click the small image it blows up to a nice size. There information about the size of each room and the date it was made

The rooms are exquisite. the detail is incredible I wish I had the skill and the patience to attempt making one myself. Maybe I will one day.

These gorgeous rooms are well loved in the Windy City. If you mention to anyone - sales people, those you ask to take your picture, those who give you directions - that you went to the Art Institute, they will say, "Did you see the miniature rooms?"

As I was about to leave the Art Institute I checked out the gift shop. I started to chat with another customer who asked if I had seen the rooms. Then she told me that her mother-in-law was a friend of Mrs. Thorne and that Mrs. Thorne had made her a room. She said that one of her nieces (the mother-in-law's granddaughter) has the room now.

I wasn't too jealous - it was a wonderful story.

I have seen many pictures of these rooms in books and online, but one does not appreciate the skill of the craftsmen and the detail of the rooms until you see them in person.

I would highly recommend visiting these incredible rooms if you ever get to Chicago - that toddlin' town.