Miniatures have been gaining popularity on social media for the past few years.
There’s a distinction between scale models and miniatures: architects and engineers often use scale models to experiment with mediums and show their ideas without wasting materials that can be extremely expensive. At the same time, miniaturists create miniatures to replicate real-life objects in fanciful and delicate scenes. There’s another distinction between created miniatures and kits or assemblies. Miniature kits have been on the rise where people can buy kits with the pieces and assemble them themselves, but these are not truly created from scratch.
Although there have been figurines and scaled-down sculptures made throughout time, there wasn’t really a miniature house with recognizable furnishings and appliances until the 17th century. Wealthy women in Germany and the Netherlands would commission expensive creations from artisans and store them in glass-fronted cabinets as prized possessions; they weren’t made for playing with. They were meant to be displays, signs of wealth, and social class.
However, in the latter part of the century, Nuremberg Kitchens were manufactured: a utilitarian device used to teach young girls how to manage a household, with all-metal appliances that could be interacted with. In early 18th century England, there was a craze for “Baby Houses” that had an exterior that resembled a real house; these miniatures were modeled after real houses and showcased furniture that was not necessarily expensive or rare but reflected the ideals of that time. After this time, doll’s houses were made, miniature houses that children could interact with and rearrange. During the industrial revolution, these houses could be mass-produced, which made them cheaper; this led to the gradual change for miniatures to be seen as children’s toys and less of an adult’s collectible.
Today many consider miniatures as being frilly and childish, unimportant relics of childhood play. However, miniatures are more than mass-produced plastic or resin goods. They are pieces of art when they are created by hand and not assembled. Miniaturists can scale real-life objects down to 1:35, 1:72, 1:100, and even 1:144.
This gives them the freedom to pursue what we might not see on a larger scale that is more prevalent on a smaller one. It allows people to have an idea of control over a world removed from our own, that doesn’t have to deal with the same laws and ideals that we deal with today. It’s special that miniatures can be fixed and stable throughout the years.
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